A Demon's Wings
by BluePhoenix0101
Summary: People called her the Angel of Death. She always appeared in the dead of the night, determined to kill whoever she was after. Not once did a target escape her, not once did they have time to call for help before she mercilessly slaughtered them. How were people always able to tell it was her? How did she gain her alias? Read to find out! MarcoXOC
1. Stowing Away

_**(A/N) My third fan fiction. I don't have time to update the others but I have time to write a new one. Weird. Anyways, Marco is 20 in this story, and the girl's name is Lexi. She'll introduce herself later in one of the other chapters. Please read!**_

_**NOTICE! I've started redoing the story in third person and adding more detail. I'll try to redo one chapter a day, and until I finish, I will most likely not be updating any of my stories. Thank you.**_

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_**Chapter 1: Stowing Away**_

She was stupid. Really, really stupid. And she knew that. Unfortunately, it was the only way for her to travel to the next island. She couldn't afford to buy her own sailboat, as she had just spent the last of her money on a new change of clothes, and enough food to last the trip. Unfortunately, the only ship sailing to Green Leaf was a Marne vessel. Sure, they might not like the Marines (or the World Government, for that matter) on her home island, but as long as they paid for the supplies they were buying and left the people alone, it was alright.

Lexi got on board fairly easy. Some of the lower ranking marines were carrying barrels onto the ship, most likely provisions. Lexi tip-toed over to one of them, pulled the lid off, and dumped whatever was inside into the water. She then proceeded to climb into the wooden container. She reached for the lid, grabbed it, sat down inside, and placed it more or less in the right place. After a while, she heard muffled voices, and a two pairs of hands lifted the barrel. She was carried onto the ship.

A few days had passed since then. She had been stowing away on the vessel. It was fairly easy. All she had to do was keep to the emptiest hallways, rooms, and closets. The ship was pretty large, so she was able to get by. She knew that if the marines caught her she'd would be in a lot of trouble. Well, at least she'd still be alive. That's better than what would have happened on a pirate ship, where she'd definitely be killed without a second thought.

After a week Lexi's food supplies started to run low. She hoped they'd be docking soon. It was only supposed to be a 5 days long trip to Green Leaf, but if you took the size of the ship into account, you ended up with a 9 day long trip. Lexi sighed. She would have to sneak into the kitchens at night to get something to eat. With a little luck (not that she had much to begin with), she wouldn't be caught. Now, how to get off the ship and onto the island...?

The wall next to her suddenly exploded, and sea-water started rushing into the fairly big supplies room. Yelping in alarm, Lexi bolted towards the door, hoping to get out before some marine shipwright came in to patch up the hole. She ran up a small set of stairs and down a long hallway in an attempt to get to higher ground, but when she suddenly heard voices she was forced to jump into a nearby cleaning closet. Lexi put my ear to the door, trying to make out what was being said.

"The Whitebeard Pirates have been sighted. Prepare the cannons and mobilize the men!"

"Yes sir!"

Great. Just what she needed. Pirates. Once the owners of the voices were gone, Lexi carefully peeked out from the closet. The hall was empty. Quietly, she snuck out of the closet and made her way to the kitchens. Thankfully, she had a plan ready for these sort of situations - steal food, then a lifeboat and escape. In the chaos of battle no one would notice her getting away.

To find the kitchens all Lexi had to do was follow her nose. The chefs had been preparing dinner right before the pirates had been spotted, and one could smell the food cooking a mile away.

Lexi entered the kitchens carefully, ready to turn back and run if anyone was still there. She got lucky - the coast was clear. Lexi walked over to the cupboards, passing the fridges, looking for stuff that wouldn't spoil easily. She packed her rucksack with as much food as it would hold.

Satisfied with her work, she made my way up to the deck of the vessel. When she opened the door, she noticed that not a single person was around. Strange. But then again, maybe the fight was taking place somewhere else. Yeah, that must be it, the fight must be somewhere else, probably on the other side of the ship. Ignoring her instincts telling her she was most likely wrong, she walked through the shadows (one can never be to careful) she started making her way in the direction of the lifeboats.

As she rounded the corner, she was met with a gruesome sight - marine soldiers lying sprawled across the deck, either unconscious or dead, most being burned quite badly.

Anyone else would have probably thrown up on the spot, but not Lexi. After all, she had seen much worse during her life.

Lexi faltered a little, but as soon as the situation sunk in, she went back to focusing on where she wanted to go - the lifeboats.

Walking out into the open, she hoped that nobody would see her. When she was more or less in the middle of the deck, she caught a glimpse of a flash of blue to my right. For once, she listened to my instincts and threw herself onto the floor. Thank goodness she did, too, because something whizzed by right where her head had been just moments ago. Lexi rolled into a crouch and looked around for her attacker. To her left stood a man with blond hair and a bored expression on his face. It was a man she recognized from his wanted poster - Whitebeard's First Division Commander - Marco the Phoenix. Lexi swore under her breath. He was the last (or one of the last, at least) person I wanted to meet. Then, he addressed her:

"And here I thought we had taken down all of the marines."

She swore again. Trust a pirate to jump to that conclusion. It was because of the marine cap on her head. She never took it off. It was a reminder of her mother. She had given it to her before she had passed away. But that definitely did not mean that she liked marines. On the contrary - she hated them. They were the reason she had died.

"Cowardly of you, sneaking around and hiding while your friends are fighting." He had a look of disgust on his face.

"Look, I'm not a marine", Lexi said backing away. She spared a glance over my shoulder and saw that she was headed in the direction of the lifeboats. Thank goodness!

"Really? Your cap says something else. And just why would anyone else be on a marine ship?"

"That's none of your business!", she snapped. Snapped. SHE SNAPPED AT THE FIRST DIVISION COMMANDER OF THE WHITEBEARD PIRATES. 'Suicidal much?', she thought. Then again, she was known for her temper...

He chuckled. It was an eerie sound, considering the situation. Blue flames erupted from his arm. It must have been a Devil Fruit ability. Not knowing what else she could do, she turned and ran away. He gave chase, but she could tell that he was just toying with her, like a cat with a mouse before it ate. A predator and its prey. He wanted to get her hoping that she could actually escape before taking her down and proving her wrong. Even knowing all of this, she couldn't help but believe in her own ability to get away.

After a while, she stopped hearing the sound of his footsteps. Lexi spared a glance over her shoulder. There was no one following her. She slowed to a slow trot, trying to catch her breath. She turned around completely and started walking backwards, hoping to at least get a glimpse of her pursuer before he tried to ambush her. She took a few more steps, before she hit something. Something warm, and muscled.

"I got you", the Phoenix whispered, his breath tickling Lexi's ear. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the same blue flames that had appeared before show themselves again on his right hand. Her eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do, and she tried to struggle out of his grip and run. That didn't work. The Phoenix gripped both of her wrists with his other hand and brought the flaming one closer to my stomach. She wasn't exactly sure what happened afterwards, but when panic took over her body, and she shouted "No!" her attacker let her go, and was blown back. She suddenly felt very weak. So weak, that her legs couldn't hold her weight anymore, and she fell to the ground. Pain suddenly blossomed in her head told her that she had probably hit it on the way down. Her eyelids felt really heavy, and she realized she was going to lose consciousness soon. The last things she saw were two sandaled feet coming towards her. Her last thought: 'I'm going to die.' Then, everything went black.

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_**(A/N) Somewhere below this is a little white box. Please type in what you think about this and press the small button that says 'post review'. It won't take too much of your time, and I would really appreciate it!**_


	2. Conversation

**_(A/N) Kinda boring. And short. But it was necessary. I'll do my best to upload the next chapter later today or tomorrow. I've got a dentist appointment now. NOOO! Oh, and I promise that the next chapter will be longer._**

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**_Chapter 2: Conversation_**

Lexi woke up on an uncomfortable bed in what appeared to be an empty room. Empty of movement, at least. No movement means no people. Good.

She tried to sit up, but something tugged on her arm. Her vision was hazy, so it took her a while to realize what it was, but once she did she looked away. There was a tube thing connecting her vein to the medical equipment beside the bed. But worse than that, there were needles. She couldn't stand having anything pierce her skin. It felt wrong (since skin is a body's protective barrier you shouldn't break through it purposely). And she hated needles.

The device next to her bed was beeping. Feeling more awake than before, she started noticing other things as well, like the fact that her head was bandaged and there was something over her mouth and nose. Panicking, she tried to rip it off, but someone grabbed her wrist right before she touched it. Frightened, she turned around to see the person.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, sweetheart."

Marco the Phoenix. Everything that had happened suddenly came rushing back, and she tried to get up to run away, but seeing what she was about to do he put his hands on her shoulders and held her in place.

That didn't stop Lexi, though. All she wanted at the moment was to get out of here, so she tried to punch him in the stomach. He caught her fist easily. Moving took a lot out of her, and she realized she was far too weak to fight. Knowing she couldn't do anything, since she had practically no strength at all, she lay back down on the bed, waiting to see what would happen. Hopefully, her death would be quick. She shut her eyes tightly, willing it all to go away.

"Don't you have any questions? Where you are, for example? What happened?"

Lexi didn't answer, still waiting for the blow that would end her life. It didn't come. She heard a sigh escape the Phoenix's lips and opened her eyes slowly, partly curious as to why she was still alive. And why she was connected to some weird medical stuff.

She opened her mouth to ask, but couldn't find my voice. Her hand flew to her throat, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"You know, you should stop moving around so much. It wouldn't be too good for your health if that stuff there", he pointed to the equipment, "disconnected. In fact, you would most likely die within the hour."

Lexi's eyes widened. They were keeping her alive? What for? What did she have that they wanted? Because they had to want something, right? She gently lied her arm back down on the bed, being extra careful as to not get the tubes tangled. Looking at them closely, she noticed that some of the tape keeping them stuck to her arms had started peeling off. She'd have to pay more attention to how she moved. She wanted to live. She had things she wanted (and had) to do!

Odd. She wasn't even in pain. She just felt a little light-headed. They must have given her morphine. She suddenly felt very tired. A result of those hateful painkillers. She'd prefer to feel the pain. Her eyelids started dropping lower and lower, until she had to struggle to keep them open. She lost the battle and soon drifted off into a peaceful slumber...

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_**(A/N) Don't forget to review! And I thank all the people who reviewed the first chapter. And don't worry, this character won't be a Mary Sue. At least I hope not. If so, please warn me. I mean it. I want this story to be good.**_


	3. Explanation

**_A/N) So here's the new chapter you've been waiting for. It's about two times longer than the last one. The next one will probably be even longer, though I make no promises as to when I'll post it._**

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**_Chapter 3: Explanation_**

Lexi woke up again, a little calmer this time. Since she was still alive, it meant they probably wouldn't be killing her anytime soon. Unfortunately, the tubes were still attached to the insides of her elbows with medical tape, though it looked like it had been changed. And she still had the breathing aid.

The Phoenix was in the room again, and she resisted the urge to back away from him. Instead, she met his gaze coolly, trying her best not to show fear and carefully sat up.

She felt stronger than before, but she still wasn't back to normal.

"I see that you're finally awake." Hesitantly, Lexi nodded. Finally? Was she out for long?

As if to answer her unspoken question he said, "When you first woke up 3 days ago you had already been sleeping for a week. And the wound wasn't enough to keep you down for that long, nor was the blood loss. Last time you fell back asleep a few minutes after waking up. Do you think it's going to happen again now?"

Lexi shrugged her shoulders, then shook her head. She didn't feel too bad, and she wanted to at least find out where she was, though she had already made some assumptions and was pretty sure she was currently on a pirate ship. But she still asked, just to be sure. She gently removed the breathing aid. No one tried to stop her this time. She let it fall at the base of her neck, still holding on since it was tied at the other side.

"What happened to me? Where am I?", she managed to croak out. Boy, did her throat feel dry. Then again, when was the last time she drank anything? Over a week ago?

The Phoenix handed her a glass of water. Where he got it from? She didn't know. But she took it and drank willingly.

"After you used that weird power-"

"What power? What are you talking about?", she asked, surprised.

"-back on your ship-"

"That was definitely NOT my ship. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a marine?"

"Are you going to let me finish sweetheart?" That shut her up. Not the question, but what he called her. Seriously? Sweetheart? He didn't even know her! Glaring at him, she slowly nodded. "On the ship you did something. And that something blasted me a few feet back and away from you. After that, you collapsed." He wasn't going to give her any more details.

She looked at him like he was crazy. A weird power? Her? You've got to be kidding!

"And I collapsed? Just like that?" Her voice was laced with disbelief.

"Falling down, you cut your head on something and lost a lot of blood." Yeah. That part she remembered, albeit barely. "And your heart rate was quickly going down. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with you. They weren't even sure if you would survive."

"And you want me to stay alive because...?"

"Because we have a lot of questions we want to ask you."

She gulped. Questions? What is there that the infamous Whitebeard Pirates would want to know from little old her?

"Questions? What kind of questions?"

"Nothing much. You'll find out later." He moved his hand close to her face. She scooted away as far as she could go without moving the tubes too much.

"The doctor said you can take off the breathing aid. It's no longer necessary.", he explained, and brought his hand closer to her face again. She stayed still this time, but her purple eyes followed his every movement.

The Phoenix carefully removed the instrument and withdrew his hand. She noticed that her silver hair had been tied into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. It'll be a pain in the ass to brush out all of the tangles later.

"What about the tubes? Can you get them off, too?" Did she really say you? She meant to say the doctor, or me. Oh well. Maybe he wouldn't notice.

His smirk told her otherwise.

"You'll have to ask the doctor that."

"Where's the doctor, then?"

"He said he'll come by in a few minutes."

Lexi lied back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, waiting. She wasn't sleepy, but oddly enough she wasn't well-rested either.

By the time the doctor came the Phoenix had already left, probably needing to report to the captain or something. Or maybe out of boredom...

"My name is Rick, and I'm the doctor in charge of taking care of you during your stay", he explained.

"I'm Lexi", she answered, trying her best not to be too rude, but not giving away too much information. Not to a potential enemy.

"Can you detach the medical stuff now? I feel fine."

"I can, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't help your condition. I'll remove it tomorrow. How do you feel without the breathing aid?"

"I barely noticed the change."

"Do you think that you can eat? Are you strong enough?"

"I told you. I feel just fine. And that means yes - I can eat." That's good. Don't be too nice, but don't be too rude either.

"I'll bring you some food then. I'll be back in a few minutes."

With that Rick left the room. Lexi just lied there, wondering why he was being so nice to her and what he would bring her to eat.

He came back in about 4 minutes, with a bowl of soup.

"Soup?", she asked, disappointed.

"Your stomach has been empty for a long time and might react badly to solid food. You have to take it slow for now."

She took the bowl from Rick and started drinking the soup. It was delicious - not too spicy, but not to salty either.

While she was finishing the meal the doctor told her about what had happened after she blacked out. He sure was of the talkative type, wasn't he?

"When Commander Marco got back with you in his arms and ran right to the infirmary the first thing everyone on the ship thought was where in the world he had managed to pick up a girl while taking out marines. I was one of the only 2 doctors in the infirmary at the time, and he had us treat your injuries right away. All he said was that was that you might be someone important."

Her? Important? Is this an other joke?

"You were in horrible condition, your head was bleeding profoundly, but we managed to get it to stop. Then, for some reason, your heart rate started to go down for no apparent reason at all. You almost died."

She gave an involuntary shudder.

"We had to give you a blood transfusion, you also got some morphine for the pain."

"Don't give me any more. I react badly to painkillers."

"Really? I had no idea! Oh, and there's an IV next to your bed. I'm not sure if the breathing aid was necessary, but I figured better to be safe than sorry."

"When I woke up before your First Division Commander was here. I was just wondering why...?"

"He said he was going to stay with you until you woke up. When you finally did, you fell back asleep almost instantly, so he stayed even longer. As for why...he didn't really say why. Must be orders or something."

Oh. Weird. Definitely very, very odd. Hopefully he'll explain later.

"Let me see your head wound. It still needs to be checked on regularly. It's healing nicely, a bit faster than normal, though. Do you by any chance have any Devil Fruit powers?"

"Not that I know of", she answered, leaning her head in his direction, watching him closely for any odd movements. He examined it carefully.

"That's good. Looks like it'll be gone in a few days. You'll still have a scar left, though."

Rick looked at the monitor next to the bed.

"Your heart rate is still a bit low. I'll need to keep giving you the medicine", the last part he muttered under his breath. "Go back to sleep. You look like you need it. I'll come by to wake you up tomorrow morning and I promise to get the tubes and the bandage around your head removed."

She nodded her head gratefully, lied back down on the uncomfortable bed and waited for sleep to come. Turned out she didn't have to wait long.

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_**(A/N) ...and she falls asleep again. Meeting new people, making new frie- ehm -enemies... And whatever you do, DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! Plus, I thank the people who took their time to write something about the last two chapters. I really appreciate it and don't forget - I LOVE YOU GUYS!**_


	4. Child of the Devil

_**(A/N) And the new chapter is here (took me long enough)! I really outdid myself this time, though. It's got over 2300 words!**_

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**_Chapter 4: Child of the Devil_**

"Rise and shine, sweetheart."

That voice. NO! B-but Rick said he would wake her up, not the Phoenix. WHY?!

"Come on. You can't sleep forever." Reluctantly, Lexi opened her eyes, only to be met with the sight of _his_ face over the bed. She closed them again and sighed. It was such a great dream, too...

"Where's Rick? And don't call me that."

"What? Sweetheart? But it sounds so nice!", he smirked. "Rick's out, but he got the medical stuff removed. Apparently he promised you he would. So how do you feel? Think you can stand?"

"I feel better than I did yesterday. And I'm not sure if I can stand. I'll find out when I try, I guess."

"Then try", was his answer. He offered her his hand. She didn't take it, just looked at it suspiciously. Instead, she tried to get up on her own. Yeah. Tried. Her legs were wobbly, and she started to fall. Lexi closed my eyes and braced herself for the impact. It never came. She carefully opened her eyes again, only to see the phoenix's amused face right in front of her own. She looked down. Her feet we weren't on the ground anymore. She was in his arms.

"Let. Me. Go. NOW!"

"You sure? OK." Her eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do.

"No, wait! I take it back." She was a little too late, though. He had already let her go, but fortunately, caught her again before she hit the floor.

'That was close', she thought.

"I can stand on my own, you know", she said, and struggled in his grip.

"Doesn't seem like it. You might want to make yourself presentable, considering Pops wants to see you", the Phoenix smirked.

"Who?"

"Whitebeard."

"Oh, OK... Wait, WHAT?!"

"You heard me."

"But I don't want to die yet! I have things I want to do!"

"And just what is it that a marine like yourself has to do?"

"One - I don't know when you'll finally get it through that thick skull of yours, but **I'M NOT A MARINE**! And second of all, I'm not obliged to tell you anything!", Lexi turned her face away from his.

"Oh really? But we treated your injuries, gave you medical attention. I think that's enough reason for you to tell us what we want to know. You owe us."

"No I don't! I wouldn't have been injured if you hadn't attacked those damn marines in the first place!", she deadpanned.

"Actually, it was 'those damn marines' who attacked _us_."

"I don't care. It's still your fault I got these injuries! No one forced you to attack _me_, did they?"

"You're a marine -"

"No I'm not!"

"- And I'm a pirate. I don't need any more reason than that to attack you."

"Yes, you do. I didn't do you any harm. All I did was walked out into the open, only to almost be killed by your _abnormal_ blue flames, just for being there instead of somewhere else! I've been kidnapped by bloodthirsty pirates! What did I ever do to deserve this?!" On second thought, there were quite a few thins she had done.. but now's not the time!

"OK, OK, I get it already - you don't want to be here. But unfortunately, you have to unless you want to end up in the sea, most likely drowned. There's no other ship to be seen for miles. Now come on, we're going to the bathroom. The tub's already full of hot water. You think you can cope on your own, or do have to help you?"

She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She couldn't help it. She exploded.

"OF COURSE I CAN COPE ON MY OWN! AND JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, ASKING SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!" The Phoenix chuckled.

"You have some fresh clothes on the counter inside. There's also two towels there, along with a hairbrush and some other stuff you might need. Rick said you should watch out for your head. Apparently if you're not careful your wound might reopen."

He walked over to a nearby door and kicked it open.

The bathroom was normal enough. Across from the door about seven feet away stood a tub filled practically to the brim with steaming water. On the right was a toilet, and next to it - a sink. On the left was a big counter, about four feet long, and on it stood all the things the Commander had said would be there. Above it hung a mirror.

The Phoenix carried her over time the edge of the tub and helped her sit down.

"Call me if you need anything."

"Like hell I will", she muttered. He left.

Lexi carefully took her clothes off, trying her best (and not succeeding) to keep her hands from shaking. She slid into the water. It felt like heaven! She took the soap from the counter and started scrubbing her skin.

The watered turned a light brown, so she let it drain out and refilled the tub. She wet her hair with the now clean water and poured shampoo over it. Being careful not to mess up the stitches, she massaged it into her scalp. She rinsed her hair again and again, trying to get rid of all the grime and dried blood. When she finally completed her task, she refilled the bath one last time, just to make sure she was clean.

Lexi tried to stand up, but, just like before, she failed. Her legs still felt like jelly. Instead, she moved so she was sitting on the edge of the tub again and let the water out. She took one of the towels lying on the counter and wrapped it around her wet hair, and used the other one to dry off her body. She put the clothes on.

They turned out to be a checkered dark blue and dark green button up shirt, along with black knee-length shorts. She'd have to remember to thank whoever these clothes belonged to later.

The shirt hung off her frame, but fortunately she still had the belt that she wore with her jean shorts, so she put it around her waist. The shorts were also a little big, but she'd manage.

There was a stool she hadn't noticed before nearby. Instead of trying to walk again, Lexi maneuvered to sit on it. It was right in front of the sink. Perfect.

She brushed her teeth first (her breath must have smelled horrible). When she was done with that, she unwrapped the towel around her hair, took a brush and started trying to get rid of all the tangles. It took a while, but when she was finally done she couldn't help but admire her work. She looked presentable, in her opinion at least.

"Hey, you still alive in there?", came a voice from outside the door.

Lexi gritted my teeth. Just when she had managed to forget the situation I was in...

"I'm alright", she answered. Her voice was still raspy. She'd have to ask for a drink later. And some food, too. She was hungry again.

"Are you going to take much longer?", the Phoenix asked.

"No. In fact, I'm finished", she answered.

"Can I come in?"

" I wish I could say no, but unfortunately I need some way to get out of here, seeing as I can't move on my own", she replied, frustrated at herself.

"I wonder how much longer I'll have to carry you around." She could practically hear him smirking.

"Hopefully not much", she muttered under her breath.

She turned around, only to come face-to-face with the Phoenix himself. She backed away out of surprise. Thank goodness the sink was behind her, or she would've fallen off the stool.

"When did you come in?" After all, she hadn't heard the door open or anything.

"Right after you said I could."

Really? He sure was quiet. Like a ninja... Maybe worse.

"You look much better than before." A statement of fact, I assure you.

"Good to know." She had left her curly hair down. It reached her shoulder blades, and her bangs covered part of the left side of her face.

"I don't think I've introduced myself-", the Phoenix started to say.

"Yeah, there wasn't exactly the time for that", Lexi cut in, remembering the events that had occurred on the marine ship.

"My name is Marco, First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates." He held out his hand.

"I know, I saw your wanted poster enough times in my life. Lexi. Lexi May." She shook his hand.

"Should we go now?"

"Do we have to? Can't you just let me go already?"

"Not a chance", he smirked again.

"Fine, then. Let's get this over with", she sighed. Hopefully they'll let her go sooner or later. Probably later, though. But she had to admit, they were being pretty nice to her. At least for the time being.

The Phoenix scooped her up into his arms again. She blushed. She hated close contact with strangers. Why, oh why was she not able to walk on her own?!

"No, wait! Hang on a second! Where's my cap?!" Why hadn't she noticed it was gone sooner?

"The marine cap? It's on the table next to the bed in the other room."

A table. Really? There was a table in there? Who knew?

Her stomach growled, reminding her of the fact that she needed food. And water. Can't forget the water.

"How about we get you something to eat first?", he proposed.

'Yes!' she wanted to scream, but instead she just nodded her head. It's not like they were going to poison her or anything...right?

"Do you want to go to the galley? Or should I bring you something so you could eat here?"

Lexi blushed at the thought of all those pirates seeing her in their commander's arms and shook her head fiercely. OK, bad idea. She groaned, and her hand flew up to her head as it started to hurt. The Phoenix set her down on the bed and waited for her headache to subside. Or at least, that's what she though until she looked up and saw him standing in front of her with a bowl of soup in his hands. Seriously? Soup? Again? Why did Rick have to tell him? What she wouldn't give for a nice juicy steak right about now...

He gave her the bowl. This soup was different from the one she had yesterday. This one had small chunks of meat floating around. Finally something solid!

The Phoenix's eyes were cool and calculating as he watched Lexi inhale the food.

Whatever happened, she couldn't forget that this man was a pirate; even if he was being nice to her right now, if he wanted to he would kill her without a second though.

When she was done she put the empty bowl on the bedside table (Oh! So that's where it was!).

Lexi was suddenly scooped up off the bed and into someone's arms. Her eyes widened in alarm, but she relaxed a bit when she realized that the person must be Marco. Weird. That's the first time she actually used his name. Up till now it had mostly been 'the Phoenix'. She grabbed her cap right before he started walking away. He kicked open the door and walked into a long hallway.

To her surprise, it was empty. Should it be? Where did all the people go?

The deck of the ship was large . Bigger than average. Way bigger. And there were people here! People, who started backing away as soon as they saw them. Why would they do that? It's not like they're scared of her, are they? No, that's impossible. Why would they be?

Marco brought her over to a large chair - almost like a throne - in the middle of the deck. And on it sat the strongest man in the world.

She sucked in a sharp breath. Whitebeard. This was really him. He sat there, looking at her. His eyes made her feel like they were penetrating her very soul.

"Pops", the Phoenix greeted him.

"Marco. So this is the girl?"

"Yeah." Lexi stayed motionless in his arms, looking to see where this would go. Whitebeard turned to a man standing nearby. She hadn't noticed him before.

"Ace, go get the other commanders." Ace... wait, "Firefist" Portgas D. Ace. Whitebeard's Second Division Commander. Why did he have to go get the other commanders, though? Lexi gulped. She probably wouldn't survive this.

Marco carefully set her down on the floor and sat down right next to her.

Firefist soon came back, along with fourteen other people. The one that caught her attention most was the Fourth Division Commander, Thatch. He was the only one of the group who was smiling; everyone else had solemn expressions on their faces. Did she do something wrong? Other than trying to escape with her life from their First Division Commander, of course.

The commanders sat down around them (her and the Phoenix) in a circle (huh?).

Marco stood up, pulling Lexi up along with him. She stumbled, but before she could fall he put one arm around her waist, and took her arm and put it around his shoulder.

"What's your name, girl?", Whitebeard asked. She looked at him with big frightened eyes. The words got stuck in her throat somewhere on their way to her mouth.

The Phoenix nudged me lightly.

"Lexi", I squeaked out. "My name is Lexi May."

"Lexi. So that's the name of the daughter of the Devil himself."

She stared at him like he was crazy before-

"What the hell?!"

* * *

**_(A/N) And that's that. You enjoy it? I hope so._**

**_You finally found out what Lexi's power is (well, more or less anyways). BTW, she's 19. Just thought you might want to know._**

**_I really appreciate the reviews. It's nice of you guys to post so much of them in such a short amount of time._**

**_Oh, and the next chapter will be out sometime next week. Unfortunately, it's going to be shorter than this one._**


	5. A Monster

_**(A/N) A bit, late. I know. Nothing I can do about it. Stupid school. And when I get home I always take an afternoon nap. After that there's homework. Fortunately, this week I only have to go to school on Monday and Tuesday, so hopefully I'll be able to post the next chapter soon.**_

* * *

**_Chapter 5: A Monster_**

"W-what do you mean daughter of the Devil?", She demanded.

The pirates looked startled. Probably at her reaction. So they though she would be too scared to speak her mind to their captain, did they?

"You're the daughter of the Devil. The being that resides in Hell."

Lexi looked at Whitebeard's face, bewildered, hoping she had heard wrong, hoping for it all to be a lie. That's when she remembered...

* * *

_"Mommy? Who's my daddy?", five-year-old Lexi asked. She really wanted to know, as her mother had never brought up the subject before, and she was old enough to wonder._

_Her mom froze, her eyes widened in...fear?_

_"Y-your dad?" She knelt before Lexi, bringing herself down to her height._

_"Honey, it doesn't matter who your daddy is. He isn't you. Remember that - you are your own person."_

_"But I want to know!"_

_"I'll tell you when you're older."_

_"Why not now? I want to know more about my family!"_

_"Because you're too young, you wouldn't understand. It doesn't matter if someone's related to you. Just because they are doesn't mean that they're your family. Your family is the people you love and feel comfortable around. It wouldn't matter if your father was the Devil", she whispered the last part, probably not expecting her to hear it._

* * *

She never let those words bother her. At least not until now...

Lexi never really knew what she had meant by that, nor did she figure out who her father was. Her mom was killed a few years later, not having the chance to explain, by the marines, the very same comrades she had learned to trust with her life, all because she had refused to give them something they had wanted. The village elder explained that to her. She knew nothing else, but still loathed the marines.

It was starting to make sense now: why she didn't tell her back then, why she mentioned everyone being themselves no matter their lineage, when she talked about family.

If she was the daughter of the... Devil - then she was a Demon. Which meant her mother and she weren't related at all. SHE WAS A MONSTER! And her mother knew. She knew and still loved her...

Lexi's head started to spin, and her knees gave out from under her. She crashed to the ground.

"No... no, that's just not possible... it's impossible!" There it was. That same feeling of power she had felt when Marco had attacked her. Out of the corner of my eye she saw the phoenix take a few steps back.

Saying the pirates looked shocked would be an understatement. They were downright dumbfounded. What she couldn't figure out was why...

Some of them were looking at her like they couldn't believe their eyes, others were turning away, disgusted. Not even Thatch was smiling anymore.

Only Whitebeard's face remained expressionless. Lexi looked down at her body, and her face mirrored their disgust.

Her nails had turned to claws. Long, long black claws. And out of her back grew wings. Big, black Demon wings. She had a black, scaly tail, ending like a harpoon. Her once shining silver hair had turned a jet black color, and she felt her fangs grow twice what they were supposed to be in her mouth.

She was horrified. Was this what had happened back on the marine ship? How could Marco talk to her, touch her even, if he knew that she was a monster... How could he treat her like a normal person?!

Firefist was looking at her with a bit of sympathy, but he was the only one. Why? Lexi had no idea. And she couldn't care less at the moment.

She ran to the side of the ship (her strength had returned when she transformed) and looked at her reflection in the water. She had small crimson horns (horns!) coming out of her head, and her eyes...

The whites of her eyes had turned black, and her once purple irises were now a deep crimson. Lexi took a step back in shock, only to bump into into someone. She turned my head around.

It was Marco. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" She jerked away from his grip.

"Let's get you to your room, OK?"

She stared at him warily for a few seconds before slowly nodding her head. He motioned for Lexi to follow him. The Phoenix had taken a few steps towards one of the few doors on deck before she slowly went after him. They walked through a long hallway in silence.

Once in the hall, the power she had felt earlier suddenly vanished and she would have crashed to the floor if it hadn't been for to strong arms catching her at the last moment.

She couldn't hold her emotions back anymore, now that the shock had worn off. She cried. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

After a while she heard a door open and was set down on a bed. Not losing another moment Lexi buried her face into the pillow to hide the tears from the Phoenix and muffle her sobs.

He sighed and left the room.

Thank goodness sleep came soon after...

* * *

Marco left the girl by herself and made his way back to Whitebeard and the other Commanders.

"How is she?", Whitebeard asked.

"Not doing too well. Couldn't you have told her in a different way?"

"How was I supposed to know that she didn't know? It's not like I can read her mind."

"She DID look at you like you were crazy", Marco deadpanned.

Marco was met with a few moments of silence.

"This whole mess is crazy", he heard Thatch mutter to himself.

"We can't let the girl leave now. Just imagine what would happen if the government found out about her."

"But we can't force her to stay Pops, not if she doesn't want to", Marco replied.

"And besides, it might be a danger to the crew. What if it suddenly attacks someone?", added Izo.

"We can't let it roam around free. Did you see how it reacted before? That could happen again", said Vista.

"Don't talk about her like she's some kind of animal! She's a maybe 19-year-old girl, for Heaven's sake!", Marco demanded.

"Not a girl... a monster", Izo muttered. Marco glared at him.

"Ace, you've been awfully quiet for a while now is something the matter?", asked Whitebeard.

"No... not really. It's just that I can kind of understand what she's going through at the moment", he whispered. The think the last part was only meant for Whitebeard to hear.

"I've heard about stuff like this happening before. Apparently a child of the Devil is born once every thousand years on the 29th of February. Very few people know about such a person existing."

"How do you know about it then?", asked Thatch.

"_Someone_ told me about it once." Ahh... he was referring to Roger.

"According to that person, people like her have the ability to make others lose control over their Devil Fruit abilities if they want to. Not only that, if you're around her, and she wants it to happen, your ability's power multiplies, whether you want it to or not. Did any of you feel anything when she transformed today?"

Now that Marco thought about it, he did. Not on the same scale as that other time, though.

He looked around and saw Ace and Jozu nod their heads.

'That girl is definitely going to be a lot of trouble', he thought.

"But why does it have to stay here?!", demanded Izo.

"Do you want the Marines to get their hands on her instead? It'll be better for both her, us, and the rest of the world if she stays here."

Marco tuned out the sounds of the ensuing argument and sighed. This was going to be a long day...

* * *

**_(A/N) Now I'm off to write the next chapter of "Transported". And keep the reviews coming people! They give me motivation to write more!_**


	6. Letter

**_(A/N) This chapter is a really short one, but since I have no school tomorrow, and then there's Saturday and Sunday after that I'll actually have the time to write the next chapter, which means it'll be out in a few days. And I promise it'll be longer than this one._**

* * *

**_Chapter 6: Letter_**

Lexi felt horrible when she woke up. Her head, along with the rest of her body, was aching horribly. It must have been a side effect of the transformation.

Aah... Yes. The transformation. She's the daughter of the Devil. What does she do now?

She's a monster. Not the way some people call Devil Fruit users, though. An actual _monster_... Does she deserve to live? Doesn't seem like it... What should she do? Starve? Die of dehydration? Throw herself overboard?

She took her cap off the floor (it must've fallen off her head when she was asleep) and held it close to her chest.

Her mom had wanted to let her know who her dad was, right? Surely she left some kind of explanation?

Ugh... so many thoughts inside her head all at once...

What if her mom _had_ left something, though? A letter, perhaps? Where could she have hidden it? A secret drawer in one of the desks at home? Inside a book? Left it with a neighbor? Maybe Lexi had it, but didn't know...

Wait a second... the cap!

* * *

_"Lexi, come over here for a second!"14-year-old Lexi ran to her mother's room._

_"Mom?"_

_"In here." She opened the door. Her mom stood next to the bed near an open suitcase._

_"Are you leaving again?"_

_"Yes, unfortunately. Come closer. I want to give you something."_

_Lexi walked up to her. Her mother hugged her, and she felt her put something on her head. Hesitantly, she took it off._

_"Your cap? Why are you giving me your cap?"_

_"So you have something to remember me by in case I die. It's very important, so be careful you never lose it."_

_"You've never worried about this before. Why now?"_

_"Because this time, there is a very high possibility of me dying. Promise me you'll always have it with you."_

_"I promise."_

* * *

Lexi studied the cap through her red, puffy eyes. All of the stitches were blue... No, wait! There were white, uneven ones covering the rim of the eye-shading part!

Excited, and somewhat scared, she looked around for something she could use to cut through them. Her eyes landed on a scalpel laying on the bedside table.

Careful as not to damage the fabric, she cut through the first few. And then she saw it - the edge of a piece of paper.

She cut through a few more stitches so she would be able to remove it.

It was yellowed with age. Her mom must have written this some time ago...

She unfolded it and was met with the sight of her mom's sloppy handwriting.

_My dear Lexi,_

_If you're reading this it means that I'm long gone from this world. Last night you asked me about your father. Hopefully you're old enough to understand now._

_I'm sorry to have to tell you like this, but there's no other way._

_You and I are not related. I found you washed up on the beach on a little raft when you were only a few days old. I took you in and raised you as I would my own daughter._

_It wasn't until later that I found out who you were. After a bit of research on my part, and some of your habits it turned out that you were a mythical being... You were the Devil's daughter. I'm sorry I have to explain it to you this way, and I hope that you'll be able to forgive me for not telling you personally._

_Remember what I told you? Your family isn't necessarily the people you're related to - it's the people you feel comfortable around. I hope you'll still consider me your family member after this, because, no matter what, I'll always love you._

_And I know what you're like. Don't hate yourself because of this. Accept it. It's part of you. Hopefully one day you'll find friends who accept you just the way you are._

_With love,_

_Carol_

_P.S. The village elder knows all of this. If you're in doubt or want to know more about this, I suggest talking to him._

'Mom.. Why didn't you tell me? I - I...' She didn't know what. Lexi pulled the letter close to her chest.

She made up her mind to get off this ship and talk to Mr. Sam as soon as she could.

* * *

**_(A/N) If you review I would appreciate it if you included what you want Lexi's weakness to be, 'cause I'm still not sure, and I need to figure it out soon, 'cause she's gonna fight in one of the next few chapters._**

**_And for all those of you who want to know, this will eventually be a MarcoxOC story._**

**_See you in a few days!_**


	7. Friends? Who needs them?

**_(A/N) I guess I couldn't update sooner. Too bad. Oh, and I've decided to start answering guest reviews. So here we are:_**

_**Munchkin: I feel honored. And you know, that is a GREAT idea! I'll be sure to include that. I'm going to listen to your advice and try to make the chapters more detailed!**_

**_Emz: I don't know how to write longer chapters. Unfortunately. The longest any of them are going to be is probably about 4000 words. If I wanted the chapter to be longer than what they are now, it'd take me at least a week longer to upload._**

**_I want to thank the people who suggested weaknesses for Lexi, and to the rest of you readers: it's not too late yet._**

* * *

_**Chapter 7: Friends? Who needs them?**_

The next few days Lexi spent on the Moby Dick were boring and all pretty much the same. She had regained enough strength to walk around a bit, but not too far. Just enough to wear down the floorboards in her room a little when she was restless, and to be able to get to the bathroom. She hated the fact that this room didn't have a porthole, but she guessed a person couldn't have everything they want in life.

Around 8 o'clock in the morning Marco would come and bring her breakfast and try to talk to me. Keyword: try. She barely ever uttered a word, and just listened to him talking about a pirate's life and all the different adventures the Whitebeard Pirates have had while she wallowed in self-pity. He even asked her to join, once. She flat-out refused. At around 1 o'clock Marco would leave and Rick would come with lunch to check up on her condition. After he was done she would go take a bath and think of a way to get off this ship. Then the Phoenix came by with supper around 6 o'clock. He had even lent her some books to help pass the boredom.

Despite him being a pirate, Lexi was starting to like this man. He was kind, unlike the stereotypical pirate. And she finally found out whose clothes she had been wearing before - you know, the checkered shirt and black knee-length shorts? The belonged to the Phoenix. Apparently the pirates thought that she might not want to wear a nurse's outfit. Well, they were right. Lexi wouldn't be caught dead wearing one of those. What kind of human being goes around a pirate ship in a pink miniskirt and a shirt with a neckline showing off half their breasts? Definitely not her.

Oh wait. She doesn't count. She's not a human being. Right. She forgot for a minute there.

At least she had managed to get her original clothes washed, and was now able to parade around 'her' room in white mid-thigh length jeans shorts, held up by a light-brown belt and a sky-blue blouse with sleeves that reached her elbows, where they were held in place by button-up strap things and had a delicate white flower design around the bottom. She had managed to find a spare band to tie her hair with. It was also white, and she used it to tie her hair into a low bun, with some loose strands tucked in behind her ears. She was barefoot, she hated shoes. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't worn any shoes for over a year...

Not that she noticed before, but her lilac colored rucksack had been lying right next to the bed this whole time. In it, Lexi had an Eternal Pose to Green Leaf, a spare change of clothes (a light orange sundress and sandals - which she never wore anyways), some canned foods she'd managed to steal from the kitchen on the marine ship, her beloved sketchbook, set of pencils, and eraser, and - now - her cap. She didn't want to be mistaken for a marine again. She already knew how badly that could end.

When she wasn't thinking of an escape plan, reading, or talking to the Phoenix, Lexi was bored out of her mind. Today was the worst it had been yet. Since she had nothing better to do, she started sketching the room she was staying in. She tried to include even the smallest details, for example the patterns on the wood. When she was done with that, she started sketching Marco. Drawing him was harder than drawing the room, since Lexi didn't have my subject in front of her this time.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you draw really well?"

Had Lexi been standing she would have jumped about a foot in the air.

"Marco! Can you stop doing that?! Look! You made me mess up!"

Lexi grabbed her eraser and started getting rid of the stray line that she had accidentally drawn under his left eye.

"And answering your question, no. No one ever told me that. You're the first person to even _see_ one of my sketches."

"What is it?"

"None of your business", she answered.

He snatched the sketchbook out of her hands.

"Hey! Give that back!"

The Phoenix walked over to the other side of the room, her sketchbook still in his hands. Lexi stood up to follow him. He was flipping through the pages. She caught a few glimpses of her pictures: a seagull on the railing of a ship, a seaking jumping out of the ocean, a stormy sky, exotic flowers she had seen on her travels to other islands, the view from her favorite place on her home island - a secluded cliff, where she used to often spend her time when she was younger, a few sketches of coral reefs and different kinds of fish she'd seen.

"You have talent."

Lexi tried to get her sketchbook back, but Marco held it high over his head.

"I didn't get to see them all yet. Wait a second."

Lexi was pretty sure her face must have been a brilliant red by then. She couldn't help it, it was embarrassing. She stretched my arm out and started jumping up in hopes of getting her notebook back. It didn't work. Why are guys so damn tall?!

Lexi gave up, and went to sit on the bed. She covered her face with her hands. Hopefully when he was done he would just give it back of his own free will.

"Why are you here again?", she asked the pirate, curious. "Captain's orders or something?"

"What, don't you like me being here? Aren't you used to it by now?", he asked, amused.

"I don't like people, period", she said.

"And why is that?"

"Because people can be cruel, and in my opinion being by yourself is much better.", Lexi answered.

"Don't you have any friends?"

"I don't need friends. I don't need anyone. Caring for people only holds you down." Marco couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was she serious?

"Is that what you really think?"

"Yes. The only people I have feelings for are the villagers back home, and that's only because I've known them for most of my life. No one else is necessary."

"Interesting point of view. I can't say I agree with you though." He came over and sat down next to her on the bed. Lexi scooted away a bit, still uncomfortable with the closeness. The Phoenix didn't seem to notice.

She snatched her sketchbook from his hands and put it back, along with all the other stuff she had taken out, in her rucksack.

"And why is that?", she asked.

"In my opinion, and I'm pretty sure everyone else on this ship would tell you the same thing, people need friends to be stronger", Marco replied easily.

It was silent for a while.

"You know, you never answered my question?"

"Which one?"

"Why do you keep coming here? Captain's orders or something?"

"Well, you're an interesting girl." Lexi scoffed. Girl? Really? Monster, more like. Who knows what the other commanders say about her behind her back. On second thought she doesn't want to know.

"And why is that?"

"For starters, you have an interesting power. Then there's your lineage, your different point of view on things, you name it", Marco started pointing out the reasons one by one.

"So it's not Captain's orders?"

"...Partially."

"Why?"

"He wants someone to make sure you don't try anything funny."

"Example, please", Lexi said.

"Nope. I'm not going to be giving you any ideas."

She sighed. He would see through that, wouldn't he? Maybe not all pirates are idiots, after all...

"You know, there's still something I don't understand. Why the hell do you treat me like a human being?", she demanded.

"Would you rather me treat you like a monster?", Marco inquired.

"That's not it! I just wonder why you're being so kind to me."

"Like I already said, you're interesting."

Lexi was getting annoyed. And a certain First Division Commander was to blame.

She threw a pillow at him. He caught it easily.

"Go away. I want a nap."

"I'll be back in the morning."

Yes. He will be back then. But by that time Lexi'll be far gone...

* * *

**_(A/N) The next chapter features Lexi's escape from the Moby Dick. And now with the usual: don't forget to review._**

**_And the 100th reviewer (if I ever get that much, but I've got 41 so far, so I might) will get a prize. Most likely a one-shot. I'll PM whoever it is and talk about the details._**

**_Stay tuned till...whenever I have time to post the next chapter!_**


	8. Maybe I Shouldn't Have Left, After All

**(A/N)****_ Another chapter out so soon... I figured that since I couldn't get a second one out last week I would publish it this week instead. Yay!_**

**_Emz: Thanks for reviewing again. It really means a lot to me. =]_**

**_Munchkin: Of course I liked your idea. It was amazing! I hope you'll review this chapter, too. XD_**

* * *

**_Chapter 8: Maybe I Shouldn't Have Left, After All..._**

Lexi braided her hair so it wouldn't get in the way and left the bathroom. She lifted her rucksack off the bed and looked around the room she had been staying in for so long. She was finally strong enough to leave, to run away, and go back to her village. She opened the door and stepped through it. The hallway was empty. She silently closed it again and made her way up to deck. She had to be careful not to make a single sound, so she wouldn't wake anybody up.

Lexi reached the door that led to the deck. She slowly opened it, peeking to see if anyone was there. Nope. Not a living soul in sight. She looked up at the crow's nests. The lights were on in all except one. She stepped out and made her way up to the first one. She had to knock out the night watch; after all, she wouldn't be able to get away if somebody saw her, right? The man was sitting in front of a window, looking into the night sky. He had short brown hair, and was wearing a black vest, dark green pants and black boots. Lexi snuck up to him and hit his head as hard as she could, instantly knocking him out.

She exited this crow's nest and made my way to the only other occupied one. She had no idea the door would creak when she opened it. Really, she didn't. The blond-haired woman turned around and started to yell. Lexi cut her off by quickly placing her hand over her mouth and knocking her out the same way she did the other man.

That sure was a close call...

Lexi walked over to where the lifeboats were. She cut the rope securing the one nearest her to the Moby Dick, and it fell into the dark water with a splash. She looked around, hoping that no one would come out to investigate the source of the noise. She got lucky. Lexi gripped the railing with one hand and jumped over to where she thought the lifeboat had landed. Under the light of the moon, she started making her way in the direction the Eternal Pose's needle pointed to...

* * *

"Pops! The girl's gone! She left in the middle of the night!", Marco shouted as soon as he was within hearing range of the pirate captain.

"She did what?! What about the night watch?"

"Knocked them out. Max is unconscious and in the infirmary. Rose is there, too, but she's awake. She said that last night when she was up in the Crow's Nest a girl with shining silver hair suddenly opened the door. She was about to raise the alarm, but apparently the girl placed a hand over her mouth, and knocked her out."

"Did you send anyone after her?"

"Nobody has any clue as to where she might have gone. It would be a waste to send the guys after her."

"In that case take my Vivre Card and fly around the area. She couldn't have gotten far."

Marco quickly grabbed the square of paper he was offered and ran over to the side of the boat. He jumped off the ship. The air whooshed by him, and every second of the fall brought him closer to the surface of the ocean. Right before he fell in he transformed into his Mythical Zoan form and flew off.

* * *

Lexi had been sailing for hours already, and she was starting to worry that her provisions wouldn't last much longer. At first she had been planning on robbing a pirate ship or two on her way to Green Leaf, but now the idea seemed absurd. She definitely didn't have all of her strength back yet; it would practically be suicide if she got caught.

Lexi stared into the navy water of the ocean, thinking back to the days she had spent on Whitebeard's ship. If she had let him, she was sure Marco would have been a good friend. What was it her mom had always said? Friends were a strength. In her opinion that phrase wasn't complete. It was more like: Friends are a strength, easily turned into a weakness. They hold you down. Lexi sighed. She shouldn't think about that anymore. She doesn't need anyone. She preferred to be alone, rather than to be hurt when her so-called 'friends' finally betrayed he r.

She looked off into the distance. There was a big, gray mass a bit farther off. Could it be? As she got closer she recognized the cliffs hanging over the sea, the two volcanoes in the distance, the emerald green jungles of her home island. After all this sailing she had finally reached her goal!

Lexi sailed over to a secluded cove to hide her boat. If she had gone to the docks, maybe she would have noticed two marine warships there...

She walked down an old dirt path through the jungle. She could smell the flowers all around her. The aroma they gave off was sweet, and somewhat spicy at the same time. It brought back a lot of memories, both pleasant and unpleasant ones. She entered the village and made her way to the square. Walking around, she noticed that there wasn't anybody on the streets. Doors to houses were opened, someone had been in the middle of hanging the laundry, there were a few bikes laying in the middle of the street, but not a single person around. She was starting to get scared.

Looking the mess all the way, Lexi hadn't noticed that she had finally ended up in the square. Nor that the villagers were all tied up and sitting on the ground in the middle of it, marines standing around them in a circle.

She heard a few clicks. They sounded suspiciously like... guns...? Lexi finally looked at what was happening in front of her. Marines. Loads of them. All with their guns pointed at her. She stopped mid-step and glared at them. What were they doing here? The had no business wandering around this island. It didn't even have a freakin' marine base on it for God's sake! What do they want?

A marine wearing a Vice-Admiral's coat came out of the crowd.

"Miss Lexi May?"

Hesitantly, she nodded.

"We're under orders to apprehend you. I would advise not to resist arrest or else-"

With one fluid movement he removed his gun from his holster and shot it at one of the villagers - an twenty-year-old girl with wavy red hair and bright blue eyes.

The silence was broken by an ear-splitting scream. Lexi looked at the girl in horror. Her left thigh was bleeding profoundly.

"Amy!", she yelled, and started to make her way towards her.

"Not one more step, or I'll shoot again," said the Vice-Admiral.

Once more, Lexi was forced to stop. She was shaking with rage. How dare they?! How dare these filthy marines hurt her?! Hurt any of them?!

"Hold out your wrists."

Unwillingly, she did as he said. He cautiously walked over to her, a slightly disgusted look on his face. But why would he look t her like that? Like she was less than human in his eyes? Unless...

He locked the handcuffs and connected them to a chain.

Meanwhile Lexi looked around, hoping to spot the village elder.

"Mr. Sam..?"

"I'm sorry Lexi." She looked in the direction his voice came from, "It's all my fault. We had a few pirate visitors a few days ago. They wanted to get on the good side of the government. I got drunk and ended up telling them all about you. They left soon after and told the marines. It's all my fault...", he trailed off, looking downright ashamed.

The Vice-Admiral pulled on the chain, causing Lexi to stumble towards him, and almost fall. He grabbed her by the back of her neck and lifted her upright again.

"Let the villagers go now", he ordered the men. "We're leaving." He pulled on the chain again and walked off in the direction of the docks.

He stepped on board the ship, pulling Lexi along, and made his way down to the brig. He literally _threw _her in one of the cells and chained her ankles to the floor and her hands to the wall. He even took the liberty to put something heavy around her neck, and chain it to the ceiling. She figured the collar thing must have weighed at least 35 pounds, and her shoulders felt like they were going to fall off because of the extra weight. He left the cell and locked it up, leaving Lexi sitting on the floor, not being able to move at all.

* * *

After sailing for a few days the ship finally docked. Lexi's whole body was sore from being held in the same position for so long, so she felt relieved when they unchained her and let her stand up. The only thing they left on were the seastone handcuffs.

They were at Marineford.

But why the hell did they take her to Marineford?

She was led through the streets, marine soldiers constantly surrounding her. She was slightly amused by this. Did they really think that she was this dangerous?

They entered a tall building, and Lexi was pul- ehm- _led _through the hallways, until the Vice-Admiral finally came to a stop in front of a door.

'Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku', the sign on the door read.

The marine knocked.

"Come in", came a voice from the inside. The door was opened, and Lexi was roughly shoved inside.

"Leave us."

She looked up at the man standing in front of her. Although he was slightly intimidating, she wasn't scared. He looked more like an old grandpa than anything. Big fat _zero_ compared to Whitebeard...

"Miss May, I presume? I believe we have some issues to discuss."

* * *

The handcuffs had been taken off, and now Lexi was sitting comfortably in an armchair in Sengoku's office.

"So basically you want me to become an assassin for the World Government, and if I don't comply you'll kill everyone in the village?", she asked.

"...Yes, pretty much, Of course, you'll have to be put through severe training first, to find out the extent of your abilities." Oh, if _only_ she had known what his idea of training was...

"Do I actually have a choice in the matter?"

"Not really."

Lexi glared at the floor. Just what sort of mess had she gotten herself into now?

* * *

**_(A/N) She's like a magnet for trouble. As Usopp said about Luffy once (in the dubbed version - Alabasta Arc) "That guy attracts trouble like a dead man attracts vultures" Haha. So fitting for this story. And this is definitely not the end of her troubles. They've only just begun..._**

**_Review people!_**


	9. Weapon of the Government

_**(A/N) Another early chapter. I'm on a roll! Exceeded 3000 words. My longest chapter yet! It would have been longer, but I got writer's block at the end and decided to end it there. *sigh* You've gotta hate how my mind works sometimes.**_

**_Munchkin: How did you know that I check my reviews every day? And thanks for the reviews. I'tried to make this chapter more detailed. And do you really think that I'm getting better? That's good to know!_**

* * *

**_Chapter 9: Weapon of the Government_**

People called her the Angel of Death. She always appeared in the dead of the night, determined to kill whoever she was after. Not once did a target escape her, not once did they have time to call for help before she mercilessly slaughtered them. How were people always able to tell it was her? How did she gain her alias? You knew it was her when you saw the victim, a dagger in his heart, and to that dagger two silver feathers attached by a single lilac string. Nobody ever saw her, nobody ever caught her. She was feared all throughout all the 7 seas - especially in the New World of the Grandline, since she was able to take down high bounty criminals without breaking a sweat. How did people know this? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that at the scene of the crime not a single drop of blood was to be seen, other than that on the victim... Terrifying indeed...

* * *

Murdering people was never pleasant. They were living beings, all with hearts beating in their chests. Hearts that she was ordered to stop.

Lexi's so-called training had been tough. Day after day she would be forced to fight high-ranking marine officers. Whenever she fell down, exhausted, she was forced back up. If she didn't comply, she was taken away, tortured, the marines telling her there would be worse to come if she didn't follow their orders. These people were monsters, they saw her as an animal. No, something less. If the torture didn't work, and she still refused to stand back up, the villagers were threatened. She could never stay down after that. She would sacrifice herself for their safety.

They stopped 'training' her after 6 months. It was a few days after that she was given my first mission - to take down a 269 million berry bounty pirate. All because he was deemed a major threat to the World Government. She wasn't sure if they'd expected her to survive, but she did. The pirate went down with her barely breaking a sweat. It was terrifying to see how strong she had gotten these past few months.

Her first kill was the hardest. She was supposed to track down 'Slithering' Kurt and exterminate him. How did the World Government know for sure that she did what they wanted? Simple. Word spreads fast. It was all over the newspapers in the morning 'High bounty pirate found dead in the streets. Is there a killer among us?' It was always like that. After she killed her very first victim, she had stayed in the same town for a while and rented a hotel room. She remembered spending the rest of the night crying. It was odd. In her life she had seen far worse than a single corpse, but there was a difference if you were the killer. Assassin. Murderer. After some time passed, she learned how to harden her heart. Lexi stopped feeling emotions. She just killed, for the sake of the villagers. 'Caring for people only holds you down'. That had never felt more true to her before. If she hadn't cared for the people in the village and had let them die, she wouldn't be in this mess. She could have escaped. Sure, she would still have been chased after by the government, but she would be free. Well, more free than she was now. Life was hard. But now she had experience. She tracked down the target and killed after the moon rose high into the sky. She never attack when it was the full moon - she lost both her powers and strength that night. She was almost as vulnerable as a newborn child... Almost.

Ahh... Yes... About her powers... It turned out that the marines knew more about her than she had originally anticipated. And when they didn't know something, they experimented. Lexi's body was used for dozens of experiments. Lets see... Her weaknesses? The cold. Well, any temperature below 5 degrees Celsius. And the full moon. She guess there might be more, but those are the ones she knows of so far. Powers? When she transforms she's much stronger than usual. By a few times. Her speed improves, and so does her hearing, sense of smell, and sight. Over time she also figured out that she was able to manipulate people's' Devil Fruit abilities.

There's one thing no one can figure out: why she can't fly. She should be able to, but whenever she tried to get airborne, she went up to maybe a height of 10 feet and start to fall back down. Something must be wrong... No one, herself included, knew.

There's one thing she can't stand - blood. The taste of iron on her tongue, the smell of it... it's horrible. But it's also nice, in a sick way... It awakens some long dormant instincts inside her. Once, during one of her 'training' sessions, the marine she was fighting got a very deep cut in the stomach from one of her daggers. It nicked a very important vein. She got a very weird feeling all of a sudden. As the medics took him away, Lexi stood in place, dazed. Something inside told her to go finish him off. She would have gone, too, if it hadn't been for someone putting their hand on her shoulder. It was Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

"You're free to go for now", was all he said, before walking away, leaving her standing in the middle of the training field. That's why she never removed the daggers from the chests of her enemies - she wasn't sure how she would react to all the blood flowing.

That's enough with the explanations. You ask what Lexi's doing at the moment? Walking down the corridor in a certain building in Marineford. Where exactly is she headed to? Can't you guess? Yep, that's right. Off to Sengoku's office. Again. She's off to get another assignment. Another murder to commit. Not that she cared anymore. In the last months she had committed so much assassinations she completely lost count.

Lexi stopped right before the door and knocked.

"Come in", was the reply that could be heard from inside.

She turned the doorknob and walked into the room. It was pretty normal. White walls, wooden floor, a few navy blue armchairs surrounding an oak desk. Behind which sat the Fleet Admiral himself.

"You called, sir?"

"Yes I did. I have a new assignment to give you." Like she didn't figure that out already.

"Who is it this time, sir?"

"Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the infamous Strawhat Pirates. The son of the revolutionary Monkey D. Dragon. He has recently declared war on the World Government, and has been deemed a major threat to world peace."

'To your so-called absolute justice, more like', Lexi thought.

"His bounty has just been raised to 300 million berries. His crew consists of 7 people, excluding himself:  
-'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro, first mate, 120 million berries,  
-'Black Leg' Sanji, cook, 77 million berries,  
-'Devil's Child' Nico Robin, archeologist, 80 million berries,  
-'Cyborg' Franky, shipwright, 44 million berries,  
-Sogeking, sniper, 30 million berries,  
-'Burglar Cat' Nami, navigator, 16 million berries,  
-'Cotton-Candy Lover' Chopper, pet, 50 berries."

"Do you want me to take down only him?"

"For now, yes. I might send you after the others some other time."

"Do you know anything of their whereabouts?", Lexi inquired.

"They've recently left Water 7", Sengoku answered.

"Got it. I'll be leaving then."

"Make sure you get back here in three weeks. I also expect the newspapers to find out about his death as soon as possible." Was it just her, or did that sound like a warning?

"Of course."

"Of course, _sir_."

"There's no need to call me 'sir', Fleet Admiral."

And with that Lexi turned on her heel and left the office, leaving a fuming marine officer in her wake. Oh how she absolutely _loved_ getting that man angry. She always got some satisfaction out of it, even if it was a bit childish.

Lexi made her way to the harbor. Her boat, as usual, was already full of supplies for the journey. She got in and untied the rope, letting the boat loose into the sea. She watched the island get farther and farther away, until it became nothing more than a speck in the distance.

She watched the clouds as she sailed in the direction the Eternal Pose to Water 7 was pointing to. Hopefully she would meet the Strawhats somewhere on the way there, get her mission over with, and use the remaining time she had to slack off. After all, everyone needs a break every once in a while, right?

She spent most of the little time she had thinking up a plan to get aboard their ship. Hopefully, getting rid of this guy would be easy. But what did he look like again...?

She walked into the small cabin, and looked around for her stack of wanted posters.

It was nowhere in sight. She should have figured. She was never tidy. Her belongings - what little she had - were always spread out everywhere in a gigantic mess. She looked everywhere - on the shelves, in the cupboards, in the bathroom, under the bed - everywhere. After about an hour of searching she finally found it - in the mini fridge, right behind the cottage cheese.

She lifted them up and walked over to her bed. She decided to throw all of the crossed out ones into the trashcan; after all, she didn't need them. They just took up the little space she had for herself.

Lexi sat down and started flipping through them, looking for the ones displaying the Strawhat Pirates.

The captain looked like a cheerful kid; black hair, a straw hat on his head, and a gigantic grin on his face. The swordsman had green hair, and a demonic look in his eyes, the cook - blond hair, bangs that covered one eye, above the other one you could see a swirly eyebrow. Instead of a photo his wanted poster had a drawing on it. The archaeologist had black hair and blue eyes, the cyborg had blue hair, the sniper had black hair, a horribly long nose, and a mask covering his face, the navigator - orange hair and caramel-brown eyes. What really drew my attention was their pet. It was a cute brown ball of fuzz, possibly a reindeer, with a pink hat on his head.

Lexi sighed, and started looking for her sketchbook. She was lucky her belongings hadn't been confiscated. She found it easily. It was one of the few things she had managed to keep in almost-perfect condition, the others being her pencils and eraser. She looked through the sketches. So many memories... she went outside and sat down on deck, wanting to draw the sun shining on the crystal clear water. This was going to be her first drawing in-what-10 months? She stopped when she saw her rough sketch of the Phoenix. She had completed most of his face, and had the lined lied out for the rest of his body. His eyes seemed so... real. She sighed and flipped to the next empty page.

Drawing helped her stay calm. And she finally managed to figure out a plan to get on the pirates' ship! Applause, applause.

* * *

It was the middle of the night. Lexi had already dressed in her usual outfit - a black bodysuit, a scarf to cover the lower part of her face and neck, and a bandanna. Her hair was tied into a low bun, so it wouldn't get in herway, it's unnatural color only revealing itself under direct moonlight. She had a few daggers with her, all with feathers tied to them by a light-purple string. Her signature weapons...

Lexi sailed her boat over to the pirate ship. It was pretty big, with a sun/lion/flower thing as the figurehead. She carefully jumped on deck, holding a rope connected to her boat in her hands. She looked around to make sure no one was there. The coast was clear. Well, the light was on in the crow's nest, so someone was probably on watch. They didn't notice her, as she had all the lights off on her boat, seeing as she could see in the dark perfectly, also thanks to her powers. She quickly tied the rope to the railing of the ship, and started to quietly make her way around the place. It was big, but since most ships had more or less the same layout, Lexi easily figured out where the captain's cabin was. Opening the door revealed a sleeping boy. He looked around 17. About three years younger than her. It was the Strawhat. She snuck over to the bed and pressed the tip of her dagger to his chest. Yes, she made a great mistake. She should have covered his mouth with her free hand before she did anything else. Her shadow looming over the bed had alerted him to her presence, and he woke up and started yelling for his crew. Lexi quickly clasped her hand over his mouth, successfully cutting off the shout. But it was too late. Most of the crew had come rushing in. Along with 'Firefist Ace'. Wait. What the hell is Whitebeard's Second Division Commander doing on this rookie's ship? Following him was a tall blo- Marco! What's he doing here? What's going on? Lexi cursed and pushed her way through the door. As she locked eyes with the Phoenix, she saw his widen in - recognition? He started to chase after her.

* * *

Her eyes... A light-purple color... Her hair... Silver in the moonlight... There's only once person Marco knew of who that could have been. Lexi!

But she wasn't the same girl he knew. Her eyes used to be, well, not really happy, but at least they showed some emotion. Now the were emotion_less_. Calm. No, not calm. Hollow. Empty. Drained. He took off after her.

* * *

Lexi ran over to the side of the ship as fast as she could. She still heard Marco's footsteps behind me. Is it just me? Or did something similar to this happen before? She had this weird feeling of deja vu...

Lexi gripped the railing and prepared to jump over the side of the ship into her small boat. Unfortunately, at that exact moment the phoenix tackled her. They both fell to the ground- Lexi- face first, Marco- on top of her. He took hold of both of her wrists, and backed away a little. She guessed he hadn't forgotten their first encounter. It's not like she could have hurt him, though. Or could she have? Had her heart really turned to stone? She killed without a second thought, not thinking of the pain she inflicted. She murdered wanted criminals, as well as civilians who had something against the government. She didn't think anymore. She acted. On instinct, and on orders. Would she be able to murder someone she considered something close to friend? Probably. She didn't feel anymore. The actions the World Government took against her, and the actions they forced her to take hardened her heart to the point that she felt hollow inside. Like some chunk of her was missing...

Lexi struggled hard to get out of the Phoenix's grip. She couldn't be caught now! If she didn't report back to HQ in two weeks Green Leaf would be obliterated! It was no use, though. His hold was like steel binding her wrists.

Knowing she couldn't do anything anymore, she stopped moving and lie still on the ground in defeat. Funny how it ended almost exactly like that time...

She heard something click closed, and then there was a familiar weigh on her wrists. No. Not handcuffs! Anything but that! Lexi started struggling again, and Marco tried to hold her still. Again. She felt some skin on her wrists come off, and they started bleeding again. She could bear anything but being bound. It reminded her too much of those times with the marines. Just the memory caused her physical pain. She don't want the feeling of deja vu to add to that!

"Stop moving around so much! You'll get yourself hurt!", the Phoenix warned.

Lexi couldn't care less about what he said. Marco pulled her back up into standing position, and grabbed her shoulders. Her breath caught in her throat. He had deep scratches covering his left cheek, and his left arm was bleeding heavily. Lexi stopped struggling for a moment, and looked over her shoulder to see her back.

Putting it lightly, OH CRAP. She had transformed sometime during her trying to get out of the handcuffs, and her claws were all covered in blood. The Phoenix's blood. And she stopped his healing ability by mistake.

Lexi started hyperventilating. Blood. Her gaze locked on Marco's arm, and the breaths she took were quick and shallow. Darkness started invading her vision, and she started to lose control over her body. She leaned forward, and would have fallen if it wasn't for his hands keeping her in place. Unfortunately, Lexi's movements only brought her closer to his injuries. The smell of iron was overwhelming. She lost consciousness easily.

* * *

**_(A/N) I'm not sure when I'll update again, but that doesn't mean I won't check daily for any new reviews, so keep them coming! I should write the next chapter of "Transported", though, shouldn't I?_**

**_Hope you enjoyed this!_**


	10. Trust Me

**_(A/N) So what do you guys think about the cover? I drew it yesterday, but it still didn't turn out the way I wanted it too. Oh well!_**

**_Munchkin: I got the secret message! Yay!_**

**_EMZ: Thanks for reviewing!_**

* * *

**_Chapter 10: Trust Me_**

"Anyone of you guys know who she is?", asked Luffy.

I placed the daggers I had found on the table. There were 4 of them. Each one was finely crafted. The blades were 6 and 1/2 inches long, and the hilts were covered in black and red ribbon. On the end of the hilts were two small circles, and to each one of those a short lilac string was attached. At the end of the string hung two silver feathers.

I took a newspaper out of my pocket, and also placed it on the table. On the front page was an article, with its heading written in gigantic letters 'ASSASSIN OF THE NIGHT - THE ANGEL OF DEATH STRIKES FEAR INTO PEOPLES' HEARTS YET AGAIN'. I spoke up.

"Do you guys know about the so-called Angel of Death?", I asked the Strawhats. Nami, Robin, Sanji and Franky nodded their heads. The other four looked clueless. Luffy spoke up.

"No."

"Apparently there's been someone going around killing pirates with high bounties. Not just pirates - revolutionaries, mountain bandits, even plain civilians. People are able to recognize whether it was her or not easily", I answered.

"Why?", asked Usopp.

"Because whenever she kills someone, she leaves a dagger with two silver feathers attached to it by a single lilac string in their heart."

It was silent for a moment, and everyone stared at the blades on the table.

"So, basically, what you're saying is that she was after Luffy?", asked Nami.

"Pretty much."

Ace wasn't taking part in the conversation. He was sitting in between me and Luffy, fuming about the fact that someone had tried to assassinate his younger brother. After she lost consciousness - I have no idea why, though - we put her in the Sunny's brig. No one had a clue about what we should do with her.

I stood up.

"I'm gonna go up to the deck to get some fresh air."

"I'll go with you", said Ace. He followed me out the door, and over to the other side of the ship.

I leaned against the railing and waited for him to start speaking. I didn't have to wait long.

"Marco...?"

"Yeah?"

"About that girl... Doesn't she remind you of someone?" So he noticed, too?

"Yeah. Of Lexi."

"Do you think it's her?"

"I don't see there being any other possibility. She has the same color hair, the same color eyes, the same powers..."

"So you're pretty sure it's her, right?"

I nodded.

"What do you think she's doing here?"

"Other than trying to assassinate your brother? I have no clue. From what I remember, she didn't like to fight." My thoughts wandered back to her emotionless eyes. What had happened to her over the last few months to make her like this?

After hours of searching for her when she escaped the ship I had returned back to the Moby Dick to report that she was gone for good. Pops had been concerned about her safety. And from what I see, he was right to be that way. She had most likely gotten herself into some kind of mess. Maybe the World Government had found out about her...? No... That's impossible... Isn't it?

I decided to go to the brig. I had a few questions I wanted answered. Before I left, I asked Ace to check her belongings, back on her boat.

* * *

When I woke up the first thing I thought about was how cold it was. As soon as the feeling of weakness sunk in, I noticed the chains connecting my wrists to the wall. Panicking, I started struggling against them. I couldn't help it. I kept it up for a good few minutes, before I noticed that the skin around my wrists had torn more. I took deep breaths and did my best to calm down. Finally, I was able to reduce my panic to only slight twitch in my fingers.

Feeling better than before, I decided to examine my surroundings. It looked like I was in some kind of brig. Did this colorful ship even have one of those? There was no porthole, and it was dark. Thankfully I could still see. It was a pretty small room, with wooden walls and a floor. One of the sides of the room was made completely out of bars - horizontal and vertical, and there was a small gap that signaled an entrance to the tiny cell. Maybe I would have been able to reach it, had I not been chained... I started struggling against them again, and didn't stop when I heard someone's footsteps echo from beyond the small room. There was a light coming closer, too. I figured it must be somebody holding a torch. But why did the footsteps sound so familiar...?

I saw a shadow getting closer, and eventually someone unlocked the door. In walked the phoenix. I scooted as far back as I could. It was funny how the situations I had managed to get myself in were so similar... I saw another shadow behind Marco. I guessed it would be the Strawhat. I was wrong. Firefist soon came into view, and he looked pretty pissed, to say the least.

Marco spoke first.

"Lexi?", he whispered. "Is that you?"

I didn't answer him. He already knew, didn't he? Why didn't he think to take off the scarf and bandanna Then he would know for sure, right? Instead all the stupid pirates did was chain me up in here.

The phoenix turned to Firefist.

"Can you leave us alone for a second?"

"Alright, but be careful."

"You worry too much."

And with that Firefist was gone.

"I would explain myself if I were you. The pirate you almost killed was Ace's younger brother. Needless to say, he's pretty protective of him."

I still refused to answer.

"Look Lexi. I know that it's you. No one else in this world has that power."

"Makes sense that it would give me away, doesn't it?", I asked.

* * *

Her voice was bitter, as if she didn't want to speak. Well, no big difference there, she was never the talkative type.

She looked so helpless and scared, slumped against the wall farthest from me.

"Why don't you take off that bandanna. I like being able to see the face of the person I'm talking to."

"Did you considerate the fact that I can't move my hands to take it off?"

"I guess that's true. May I?", I asked.

* * *

I shrugged my shoulders. It's not like it'll make a big difference. He already knew who I was.

The phoenix moved his hands to untie the knot at the nape of my neck. I held still. The thing was stuffy, it would feel good to finally have it off.

Marco had pulled back and was studying me closely again.

"Anything else you need?", I asked roughly.

"As a matter of fact, no. But there's something I want."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"I want to know why you left the Moby Dick all those months ago."

Is that all?

"I left because it was a pirate ship. Last I checked, that's not exactly one of the safest places to be."

* * *

"That's why you left? You were scared of being on a pirate ship? That's the only reason you left?"

"I was _not_ scared, OK?! I just didn't like being aboard a pirate ship!"

"Then why are you on one now?", I asked.

"Orders", she said, looking away.

Orders? I thought she said she wasn't a marine...?

"Then you were a marine all along?!", I asked, suddenly angry for some reason.

"No, you dimwit! I was not, am not, and will not be a marine!", she shouted.

"Then what happened to you? Why are you working for the World Government?!", I shouted back.

"I never told you I was working for them, did I?!"

I quieted down. There was some truth to her statement. I decided to ask, just in case.

"So who are you working for, then?", I asked

"I never told you I wasn't working for them, either", she whispered.

My eyes narrowed. So she was with them all along...

"What happened to make you this way? From what you've told me before it seemed like you despise the World Government, yet you're working for them?!", I raised my voice again.

"It's not what you think! I don't want to! But it's not like I have a choice! No, wait. Scratch that. I do have a choice: either work as an assassin for them or my whole island will get destroyed in a Buster Call!"

I fell silent.

"So they basically blackmailed you?"

* * *

I nodded my head in shame.

"You know, we still have no idea what to do with you. Why don't you come back to the Moby Dick with me? We can take back your island, we can help you."

"No one can help me now. Especially not you!"

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because I don't trust any of you. Who knows when someone in the crew would turn me in to the Government?!"

"No one would do that! They're friends!"

"Friends?! Don't make me laugh! I already told you what I think about friends!"

"Hell yeah,you did! And I still think that you're wrong!"

"Oh really? If I didn't care for the people on Green Leaf I wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place!"

"Well too bad! You're still coming aboard the Moby Dick, whether you like it or not. You're still our prisoner, you know!"

"It's not like you'd let me forget! And I'm only your prisoner until I run away again!"

"You won't run away again. You want to know why? Because you need our help!"

I was quiet. What Marco said was true. I felt tears well up in my eyes, and I bit my lip to keep them from falling. I spoke up again.

"Do you really think anyone on the ship would accept me as what I am?", I asked quietly.

"I'm sure at least a few would - me, Ace, for example. There would definitely be others, too. Just give them a chance."

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They fell down my cheeks, and onto the floor.

Marco came closer and hugged me. I couldn't help but to lean into him. I barely registered the fact that his wounds from before were gone.

"Come with us. Even if you'll just stay for a little while. I promise we'll help get your island back." I nodded into his shoulder, my tears moistening the fabric of his shirt. For the first time in months, _I felt_.

* * *

The sounds of shouting from down in the brig were gone...

* * *

**_(A/N) Don't forget to review! I check them everyday, and try my best to answer all of your questions. Well, unless you're asking for spoilers. I don't answer questions like those. And tell me what you think of my very first drawing of an anime character! And I already know that the feet are too small, and the thighs to big. *looks away, depressed*_**

**_-Phoenix_**


	11. A Blunt Luffy, and a Furious Redhead

**_(A/N) OMG! This is wayyyy overdue. I'm sorry, guys, but I had to study for an English Competition, and the week before I started doing that, I had tests practically every single day for a whole week. I hope it won't take this long to post the next chapter._**

**_Emz: Thanks for reviewing!_**

**_Munchkin: I'm sorry! And no, I haven't lost inspiration, I just didn't have time, and when I did, I was a bit lazy._**

**_NOTICE! This chapter is for Munchkin's birthday (today)! =] Happy B-day!_**

* * *

**_Chapter 11: A Blunt Luffy, and a Furious Redhead_**

I heard something click, and the shackles came off.

I lifted my head and looked at Marco. He stood up and offered me his hand. I stared at it for a while.

"Why?", I asked.

"Because you need help. Now are you going to stand up or not?", he answered.

Hesitantly, I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up.

"So what are you planning on doing with me now?", I asked.

"Well, for starters, we're going to go back to the Moby Dick. After that, we'll probably sail over to your island, and do what we can to help the villagers."

"And that would be?"

"I'm gonna ask Pops to put the island under his protection."

Whitebeard protect Green Leaf? It's not such a bad idea...but would it stop the marines?

"Do you think it'll help any?"

"Definitely. The marines wouldn't want to pick a fight with the Whitebeard Pirates by obliterating an island under his protection."

The phoenix motioned for m to follow him, which I did willingly. It was really cold down here, and I couldn't wait to feel the sun on my back again.

We exited the brig. Even though Marco was in front of me, I could tell he was watching me closely. Any wrong move on my part and I would be a goner. But if it came to that, there was no way in hell I would go down without a fight... even though I would probably lose anyway. The phoenix walked down the hallway in the semi-darkness. I stood in place for a moment, before going after him.

Marco helped me up a trapdoor in the ceiling. The room I emerged in was beautiful. There was a gigantic aquarium built into the wall. Surrounding the enormous fish tank was a bunch of seats. In the middle of the room stood a pillar reaching the ceiling. Someone nailed wood to the sides of it to make a table. There were a few stools surrounding it.

I looked around. I had never expected something like this on a pirate ship. There were all kinds of gorgeous fish swimming around. And wait... was that a... shark? It zoomed around the tank, eating every fish in its path. Oh well, so much for that.

I turned around, and came face-to-face with a certain freckled pirate. I took an involuntary step back, only to collide with Marco.

"Marco? What is the meaning of this?", Firefist asked. Nope. My mistake. More like demanded.

"Now Ace, before you get mad, let me explain."

"Explain? Oh I will let you explain. And the thing I want explained to me first is why Luffy's almost-killer is standing right in front of me, instead of sitting down in the brig, where she belongs."

"Yeah... about that. We're taking her back to the Moby Dick with us."

"That still does not explain why she's up here instead."

"Lets see... how about this: she won't touch Luffy again if we help her."

"Help her with what exactly?"

"Umm... how about I tell you that later...?"

I looked from one pirate to the other, wondering what I should do. It didn't look like this conversation was getting them anywhere. Ace kept asking more questions, and Marco refused to answer them. Well, not exactly refused. He was answering them without really answering them, you get what I mean? Avoiding them, kind of. The same thing that used to always get on my nerves.

Ace looked like he was getting angrier by the minute, while Marco stood behind me, and I sweatdropped. This was definitely unexpected. I mean, I knew that there were pirates who weren't the stereotypical murderers. Well, I knew there was one. Now I guess I just found another. I sighed. This was really odd. I slowly stepped away from the phoenix. My movements did not go unnoticed by Firefist, who stepped in front of me again, and crossed his arms on his chest, glaring at me. The phrase 'if looks could kill' suddenly ran through my head. I froze and gulped. Firefist Ace had a 550 million berry bounty on his head, right? I wouldn't be able to win without some bloodshed on both sides. Maybe I wouldn't be able to win at all... No I definitely had a chance. A small one, since ambushing him was not possible, but there was still a sliver of hope. On second thought... the other pirates would probably help him, so I wouldn't even get a chance to touch him. Damn!

"How about we solve this peacefully?", I asked,"You let me go me go back to where I came from, and I leave your brother alone."

Firefist narrowed his eyes. "Rejected", he said. I sighed. Yeah, it was bound to happen. This was a pirate, after all. I guess bargaining was out of the question.

I missed the surprised glance Marco gave me. Surprised, and a bit hurt.

The phoenix spoke up, his eyes also narrowing,"I though I already said you're staying with us."

I stayed silent. Why did I not have a choice in the matter? Oh. Right. I was the prisoner. On the up side, the chains were gone, and I was (partly) free to walk around.

Marco grabbed me by the arm and tried pulling me over to him. In an act of defiance I dug my heels into the ground to stay in place. Giving up, he just stomped over in front of me, and lifted my chin up, so as his eyes could meet mine. I met his furious gaze with a cold and emotionless one of my own, hoping he would back off. Needless to say, he didn't. He wasn't intimidated even a bit. I bit my lip, subconsciously, as I realized he had no intention of letting go. I felt panic slowly begin to seep into my mind.

"Let. Me. Go", I said.

"No", was his answer.

This was bad. I had to get out of his grip soon, otherwise who knew what would happen. At least I didn't have cuffs on this time...

Slowly running out of time, I stomped on his foot. I knew it was childish, but what else could I have done? Erm... what else could I have done without hurting him too badly, if you catch my drift.

He yelped and clutched the hurt appendage. I took this time to try to calm down a little.

"Do NOT restrain me", I barked at him.

I turned on my heel and walked over to the door leading onto deck, Firefist following behind, and keeping a close eye on me. I'm pretty sure Marco got over the pain right now, as he did have healing powers after all.

I opened the door, and looked outside. As soon as they noticed my presence, the Strawhats turned to me and glared. Well, all of the except the captain. He was looking at me, sure, but instead of glaring he had a thoughtful expression on his face. He walked up to me, and glanced at his supposed brother. He held out his hand.

"My name is Luffy. Nice to meet you." He grinned. Seriously? What's with this guy. One of my eyebrows traveled up my forehead. I looked at his hand suspiciously, wondering if I should shake it. Probably not. Firefist would kill me if I so much as touched his brother again. I could sense his anger, along with a healthy dose of suspicion, as his eyes were burning holes in my back. No pun intended.

I would have stepped back if I could have, but alas, I couldn't. At least not without crashing into a very angry pirate.

In the end, I decided to just introduce myself, no shaking hands. Instead, my eyes narrowed.

"Lexi", I said, "Lexi May." His grin didn't waver when he dropped his hand.

"You know Ace and Marco?"

Hesitantly, I nodded my head. "Marco. This is only the second time I've ever seen Firefist."

"Why did you want to kill me?", he asked.

You've got to be kidding me. He didn't really just ask that, did he? Someone please tell me I'm hearing things!

"Erm..."

I was saved by Marco. He lightly pushed me to the side, and exited the aquarium room.

"Luffy, I have a favor to ask."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you have an empty room on your ship somewhere?"

"Yeah. There's one right next to the one you're staying in."

"Do you think Lexi could stay in it for the next few days, until we meet up with the Moby Dick?"

"Sure no pro-"

"Now wait just a minute!", a female voice interrupted. I looked around to find whoever had spoken. 'Burglar Cat' Nami was making her way towards us, her face almost as red as her hair.

"She can't stay there alone! She almost killed Luffy! And what's wrong with keeping her in the brig.

I studied her coldly.

"I could very well stay in the brig. This wasn't even my idea. I just found out about it now."

"Then sta-"

"Nami", Luffy interrupted her. "It's alright. She can stay in the spare cabin."

The furious redhead turned towards her captain. "Not by herself she can't!"

Marco rubbed his forehead, looking as if he had a headache.

"Fine, then. I'll stay with her. Any objections?"

No one spoke. I closed my eyes and sighed. Things were slowly going from bad to worse...

Strawhat led me and Marco through a different door than the one we came from. I followed him down a long hallway. We stopped by one room, so Marco could get his things, as he probably wasn't going to get out of 'our' cabin anytime soon.

The room we ended up in was pretty big. I looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary, just two hammocks and a bed, along with a desk and a chair. I walked to one of the hammocks, lay down on it, and turned myself to face the opposite direction. I could hear what the pirates were saying, but I couldn't understand anything. I yawned, and my eyelids started drooping. It didn't take long to fall asleep.

* * *

**_(A/N) Yeah, so that's that. Did you notice how almost each and every chapter ends with Lexi either falling asleep or losing consciousness? I'm also working on a story that will NOT be updated regularly, cuz new chapters are gonna be published as prizes for the 100th, 150th reviewer, and so on. Oh, and there'll be one chapter dedicated specially to A-Bazooka-Fire, who's been supporting me from the start. Thank you!_**

**_And review people! We're almost at 100 reviews!_**


	12. A Result of Experiments

_**(A/N) 100 + 6 REVIEWS! Thank you, people. You don't know how much this means to me. *sniff* Oh, and I plan on giving a prize to my 125th reviewer, just thought you might want to know.**_

**_Munchkin: Congratulations! You're the 100th reviewer! And as for the English competition, I'm not sure how it went. In my opinion, I did good, but the results aren't out yet._**

**_Happy reading!_**

* * *

Chapter 12: A Result of Experiments

"...So that's it...", I finished. I looked around. Explaining what had happened to Ace had not been the best idea, but I guess there wasn't really much of a choice. He made half of the room catch fire when I told him 'Luffy's almost-killer', as he called Lexi, needs our help. He wanted to walk right into her room and kill her for saying something like that. He almost did, too. But when I told him about what the marines did, he turned back to me and made the other half of the room explode. Thank goodness Lexi wasn't here. She was still asleep in the spare cabin.

The room was a total mess! I had to thank whatever higher deity there was for my healing powers. As a result, I was standing uninjured in the middle of a blackened, torn apart room. Franky was not gonna like this... Ace really has to learn to control his emotions better. I mean, I get that he cares a lot for his kid brother and everything, and that he literally _despises_ marines, but was that enough reason to inflict this much damage upon something that had nothing to do with this? I sighed and left Ace alone, preferring to go back to Lexi's cabin rather than to stay here with him, what with his tendency to blow things up or set them on fire.

I walked up to the deck, needing some fresh air. It's not exactly a pleasant experience breathing in smoke for the past couple of minutes. The sun was setting, making the water glitter when reflecting its rays. I made my way to Lexi's boat. It was nothing too big, but the Strawhats had decided to keep it tied and in the water instead of hauling it up. I jumped down and walked over to the little cabin. The inside was pretty messy, but at the same time it seemed homey and cozy, like somebody actually lived here, so unlike those places that were cleaned a couple of times a day, and where you could never find even one single speck of dust. I walked over to a chest in the corner of the room and opened it. In it I found another chest, a smaller one. I opened this one, too, and saw clothes. I locked it back up and hauled it over to the Sunny. It was lighter than I expected, being at least half-empty. I walked back to Lexi's cabin. Outside of it, most of the Strawhats were gathered, Zoro, Nami, Franky, Brook, and Luffy. They had decided to take guard duty while I was away.

"Franky and Luffy, you might want to go check on Ace now", I said.

"Alright", Luffy answered, and ran outside. Franky stayed, looking at me with a curious expression.

"Why me too?", he asked.

"Because Ace made the room blow up", I explained. He stared at me wide-eyed for a moment, before running after Luffy shouting something along the lines of 'Sooo NOT SUPER, Fire-bro!' I sweatdropped, and entered the room. Lexi was the same way I had left her, lying in the hammock, turned away from the door, sound asleep. I sighed again and put the chest down. She's probably going to want to take a shower when she wakes up I walked over to the other hammock in the room and lie down on it, looking at the girl. She hadn't changed much, as far as I could see. Her hair was a little longer, and her expression colder, but other than that, she still looked like the girl I had met all those months ago.

"Marco?"

I blinked in surprise. So she wasn't asleep, after all.

"Yeah?", I asked.

She was quiet for a minute before she whispered "Thank you". I smiled.

"No problem."

* * *

"Lexi? Lexi, wake up." Someone shook my shoulder. I slowly sat up, and rubbed my eyes. I looked around the cabin I was staying in. It had been a week and a half since I left Marineford, and I was starting to get restless. I slept less than three hours every night, just staring at the ceiling wondering how this would all turn out. More than once, I thought of just killing the Strawhat kid and returning, but Marco had introduced a sliver of hope that I could finally be free, after all this time.

Right now, he was standing before me, with a plate of food in his hands.

"What is it? Why did you wake me up?" Right when I had finally managed to fall asleep. I threw my legs over the edge of the hammock and looked at him, tired. I had no doubt in my mind that I looked like crap. I had seen my reflection in the mirror in the bathroom last night. I had deep, purple bags under my eyes, and I looked like I hadn't slept in ages. I guess that was partly true...

"We're close to the Moby Dick. We should be there within an hour, maybe less if the wind picks up."

My eyes shot open, and I shivered. I was definitely not looking forward to seeing Whitebeard again.

"Does your captain know what's going on?", I asked.

"Yeah, I sent him a letter via mail bird He must have gotten it by now." This was the 6th day I would be spending on the Thousand Sunny, and I was kind of looking forward to getting off. I've had enough of the pirates staring at me all the time. It made me wonder exactly how much Marco and Ace told them about me. I slid off the hammock, and made my way over to the clothes chest Marco had brought in from aboard my ship. I was wearing a nightdress and a pair of shorts. I was about one step away from it, when my sickness (though I'm not sure I should even call it that) kicked in. I fell to my knees, and started coughing violently. Marco placed the plate of food on top of a nearby bedside table, rushed over to my side, and grabbed me by my shoulders to keep me from falling over. I covered my mouth with my hand, keeping my face from view.

* * *

"Lexi? What's wrong?!" She shook her head, to signify that she was fine, but I knew better. Especially when I saw something bright red seep through her fingers and land on the floor. All the while her coughing didn't stop. I stared at her in horror. Her whole hand was covered in blood!

"Hang on, I'll go get Chopper." I stood up quickly. She shook her head again, but I paid her no mind, and ran to the little reindeer's office as fast as my legs could carry me. I passed the shocked faces of a few of the Strawhats, namely Robin, Nami, Sanji and Luffy, along with Ace. I kicked the door open, to find the reindeer looking at me like I'd gone crazy.

"Something's wrong with Lexi!", I blurted out.

He quickly got up from the chair he was sitting in and ran after me back to the cabin Lexi and I now shared. I was worried like heck. When we got there, we were met with a horrible sight. Lexi was in the middle of the room on her knees with one hand on the floor keeping her from falling, while the other one was in front of her mouth, glistening with red, along with the piece of floor right beneath it. She was still coughing horribly, struggling to catch her breath. Chopper rushed over to her. After about half a minute, she suddenly stopped, and just stayed there, panting. Chopper turned into his human form, picked her up, and set her down on the empty bed.

"I'll be right back, just let me get my things", he said. I nodded, never looking away from Lexi. Her lips and chin were all covered in blood, and her eyesight seemed unfocused. I didn't even notice that Chopper came back, until he took his stethoscope out of his bag, and started checking Lexi's heartbeat. He did some other medical things, too, but me eyes were only on Lexi. When...? I mean, nothing like this ever happened when she was aboard the Moby Dick last time, why now?

"What's wrong with her?", I asked. At that exact moment, Lexi started trying to get up. I rushed over to her, and helped Chopper hold her down.

"Don't move around just yet. Lie down for a few more minutes. I need to finish your check-up", he said. She lifted her shaking had up and wiped some of the blood from her face.

"It's alright. I'll be fine. There's nothing you can do about it." Her voice was hoarse.

"But you're sick! And I'm a doctor. I'm going to help you whether you want me to or not."

* * *

"I'm not sick. I'm telling you, I'll be fine. It's happened before", I said. The reindeer looked at me, worried. Looks like he wasn't going to take my word for it, after all. All of a sudden, I started coughing again. I felt the pain, as if my lungs were being tron apart. Fortunately, it wasn't anywhere _near_ as bad as before.

"Marco, I'm afraid you'll have to leave", the doctor said.

"But-"

"No buts! Get out!"

My coughing subsided again, and I caught a glimpse of Marco opening the door and leaving. This was another reason I hated those marines. During one of their experiments with my body, they messed something up, and ever since then, I've been slowly dying, coughing up blood every few weeks, sometimes days. I could practically feel my life force fading. Every time I got a fit, I was weaker. It was frightening, knowing I would most likely die in such a way, but at the same time, I was kind of glad. If I died because of their mistakes, they couldn't destroy the island saying I went against them and committed suicide. The villagers would be totally safe! Thank goodness my body doesn't scar.

"What is all of this?!", the reindeer shrieked all of a sudden.

Well, not too badly anyways.

"What in the world happened to you?!" I tried to pull my shirt down, but failed miserably.

"Nothing", I whispered. "And I'm not sick. How many times do I have to tell you there's nothing you can do for me?!"

* * *

_**(A/N) I bet none of you saw that coming, did you? I suddenly got a burst of inspiration. And good thing I did, too. I had no idea what else should happen on the Sunny.**_

**_Please review! Remember, the 125th reviewer gets a prize!_**


	13. Switching Ships

_**(A/N) I'm not gonna make any excuses for not updating for a month. OK, maybe just one, little tiny one. I had a major case of writer's block.**_

_**Guest: Err... I don't have to answer that, do I? And thanks for reviewing!**_

_**EMZ: No, her old wounds haven't reopened. This chapter should explain a bit more about it. Thanks for reviewing!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 13: Switching Ships**_

**_~M~_**

I had walked out of the cabin, and now I was leaning against the Sunny's railing wondering just what exactly was going on. I had guessed that Lexi hadn't told me everything. I knew she was the secretive type. Wanting or not, I was growing attached to her. I couldn't help but wonder if she would join the crew. I just hoped that Chopper would be able to help her.

She wasn't allowed to leave the room much, just to go to the bathroom, and although Luffy had already forgiven her for trying to kill him, I was pretty sure the rest of the crew hadn't. I explained the situation to them, well, skipping a few of the details. All the Straw-hats knew was that the Marines were blackmailing her into doing something she didn't want to. I stayed in her room with her to keep an eye on her. After all, we couldn't trust her just like that, could we?

Seeing Lexi cough up blood really scared me. She looked so weak and frail. I couldn't even begin to comprehend the agony she must have felt, not with my healing abilities.

I didn't know how long I had been just standing there staring at the ocean, but I was torn from my thoughts when I heard someone's footsteps behind me, and turned around. Ace was walking up to me with a confused expression on his face.

"What's the matter? What happened?", he asked.

"Lexi started coughing up blood." Ace paled a bit. He wasn't mad at her anymore, just a little annoyed.

"Is she alright?", he asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. Chopper's in there with her. He told me to leave."

I looked back at the ocean. The Moby Dick was getting closer, but the strong winds had died down, slowing down its progress considerably. I felt someone's eyes on my back. I turned around. Ace was still standing there with a confused expression on his face.

"You know, you've grown attached to her. Both you and I know how rarely that happens." I kept silent. He was right. Lexi and I might not have talked to each other much, just a good morning, maybe a good night, nothing else. I lied on the other hammock reading a book, while she kept staring at the ceiling.

"Just be careful, Marco." He left. I sighed. I sat down and leaned against the railing. My eyes started to close, and I fell asleep.

* * *

_**~M~**_

"Err... Marco? Get up please." I felt something nudge my hand. I slowly opened my eyes. Everything was blurry for a moment, and all I could see was a small silhouette. When my eyesight finally cleared up, I saw Chopper with a worried expression on his face. I slowly stood up. The back of my neck was a little sore from being kept in its position against the railing, but I paid it no mind.

"Chopper? Is something the matter?", a bit confused.

"Yeah. It's about Lexi... She...", he trailed off. Wait a moment... Lexi, Lexi... Oh yeah!

"She what?", I asked, feeling dread settle in my stomach. Chopper inhaled deeply.

"It's a lot worse than what she said. Not only does she cough up blood from time to time, but she also... she...she" At this point he had tears in his eyes. "She has incision marks all over her body, like someone cut her body open again and again, as if she was operated on many, many times. It's horrible. The newest are about 3 weeks old, and the oldest have scarred long ago. I've never seen anything as bad! When I asked her what happened, all she did was cover them up, and say that I couldn't help her! She won't say how she got them, nothing! And I still have a feeling that there's more injuries she just doesn't want to show!"

I'm sure I was white as a sheet by the time the little reindeer had stopped talking. I stared in front of me, and walked to the cabin in a daze-like state. I entered the dimly lighten room. Lexi was still on the bed, turned to face the wall. Judging from the sound of her steady breathing I'd say she was asleep. The floor had been cleaned of most of the blood, but there was still a bit of red in the cracks of the floorboards. I looked at Lexi again with a cold expression. Ace was right. I had gotten close to her. Too close. For all I know she could end up betraying me. I remembered how tired she had looked this morning - deep purple circles under her droopy eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if this had been the first time she had fallen asleep on the Thousand Sunny. I wouldn't want to wake her now that she was finally able to make up for it. Chopper walked into the room right after me. He walked over the bed and picked up the bag with his medical things. He looked at Lexi with concern one last time before he left. I decided to sit in the room until she woke up, or at least until the Moby Dick came. I really should try to distance myself more from her, though...

* * *

**_~M~_**

"Oi, Marco, Pops is here!" Ace's shouting was heard all over the ship. I looked to see if he had woken Lexi up. When I confirmed she was still sound asleep, I slid off the hammock, and walked out the door...

...Only to crash into Ace. I fell to the floor and rubbed my forehead, groaning. Ace copied me, before he got up and stretched out a hand to help me up. I gladly took it. Once we were both back on our feet, I asked,"Where's Pops?"

"He's still on the ship. Called over and said he wanted to see you, though. Apparently, he wants more details on the mission."

"Mission...?", I asked, confused.

"Yeah. About the marine base we were supposed to take out." Oh that mission. Then as an afterthought, he added, "You're not getting amnesia, are you? Lately you've been forgetting more things."

"Ha ha. That's so funny I almost forgot to laugh", I commented, irritated with him.

"Oh, come on! Loosen up, Marco. You'll never get a girl if you're always gonna be like that." My eyebrow started twitching uncontrollably. Seriously annoyed, I pushed past Ace and made my way up to the deck.

The Moby Dick was docked at the left side of the Thousand Sunny. On it, I could see a few of the other commanders. Some had a look of distaste on their faces (Izo and Vista, along with maybe 2 others). I had no doubt that they had been told about what had happened. I still couldn't help but wonder if they knew all of the details, though. I suppose they did. Lexi was right. She would have a hard time getting others on board the ship to accept her. I transformed my arms into wings, and flew over to my home. I landed on the railing at the side of the ship and jumped onto the floor. I started making my way over the chair Pop's was sitting in, all the while feeling the eyes of the crew on me.

* * *

**_~L~_**

I woke up and stared at the ceiling above me. I kept my eyes on it for a while, before I noticed something was wrong. The wooden boards had a darker hue than the ones on the Sunny. I sat up quickly, and grabbed my head as it started to spin. My lungs were still burning a little, and I tasted metal on my tongue. I don't know why, but I never reacted to my blood the same way I did to other people's. Probably because it had a different chemical makeup. I stood up and looked around. The room seemed kind of familiar... like I had been here before. There were two doors...no porthole... I couldn't come up with an explanation, so instead of staying there and frying my brain trying to remember, I picked out one of the doors and walked through it.

Outside was a long hallway. It was empty.

"Awake already, I see", said a voice from behind me. I yelped, and turned around. Urgh! Marco again! I glared at him.

"What the hell was that for?! Is that a hobby of yours, appearing out of nowhere?!", I screamed. The phoenix just smirked.

"Aren't we grumpy this morning. As a matter of fact, no it isn't. But I can't seem to help myself when you're around. As I'm sure you know, very few people on the seas are hard to scare, and I happen to get a thrill out of it when it works."

I pondered over what he just said. Morning? But wasn't it right before the afternoon when I had my coughing attack. Marco had his eyes on the bottom of my nightgown. Well, it wasn't much of a gown, seeing as it only went to mid-thigh, that's why I always wore shorts underneath. I raised an eyebrow at him. He seemingly noticed this and pointed to the rim of my nightgown.

"You need to change."

I looked down. My eyes widened a little, after registering what they were looking at. My nightgown was red with my blood. I looked back at Marco again. I noticed he had my chest of things with him. I reached out my hands and motioned for him to give it to me. He shook his head, stepped around me, and walked through the door of the room I had woken up in. I followed him with my eyes.

"You remember this room, right?" No not really. Of course, he didn't need to know that, so instead I nodded my head. Unfortunately, the phoenix saw through this.

"It's the same exact room you stayed in a few months ago, when you were aboard the Moby Dick for the first time." Oh. So _that's_ why is seemed familiar! Wow, it seems like such a long time since I was here last. Of course, this also made me remember about my escape. I sighed. Those were the good ol' times - hiding out on marine ships, running away from pirate ships, stealing a smaller boat every once in a while. Well, it wasn't exactly stealing. I left some money in an envelope on the owner's doorstep.

I walked into the room, staying as far away from the phoenix as I could. He put the chest down on the floor next to the bed. He glanced at me one more time, said that Whitebeard wanted to see me, and left the room, closing the door behind him. I looked through my things, picked out a white button-up shirt with wide, long sleeves, a dark-brown corset-like vest that I had to tie up in the front, black baggy pants with lots of pockets, and no shoes. I also took a hair band, and walked to the room I remembered was the bathroom. I undressed, and looked at the scars that adorned my body. Even though my skin was pale, they were impossible to miss. There was one that ran from right underneath my breasts to my belly button, along with a lot of different ones. The scientists claimed that they wanted to find out what was so different about my body, so they had run all sorts of test on it. I couldn't stand to look at myself anymore, so I took a quick shower and dressed up again. I french-braided my hair and exited the bathroom. I opened the door leading into the hallway, only to be met face-to-face with Marco, his hand raised to knock on the door. He blinked twice in shock, then gently grabbed my wrist and led me up to deck.

It was empty, just like last time, though I could still spot a few curious souls peeking out from a few doors, I ripped my arm from Marco's grasp, my hysteria about being bound taking over, and made my way over to the captain of the ship, the phoenix following behind me.

I looked at the giant man sitting before me, not feeling an ounce of the intimidation I had felt before. After all, what could he do to me now? Kill me? Honestly, that didn't sound too bad...

"Marco told me about your situation", Whitebeard stated.

* * *

**_~M~_**

"So I've heard", Lexi answered. I studied her closely. Her face showed no emotion, her voice was cold, like always. "He also said you agreed to help me out of this...predicament."

"That I did. Though we don't have an Eternal Pose to your island. You want to help us out there?" Lexi started rummaging in one of her pockets. Eventually, she pulled out a glass orb with a log needle inside it. The whole thing was contained in a box like contraption. On the bottom it had two words carved into the wood - GREEN LEAF. The design was very old, the Eternal Pose must've been at least 30 years old. She held it out.

Pops didn't move towards it. Instead, he called out, "Thatch!"

A few crates fell over, revealing my friend, swearing, as one of them had apparently fallen on his toe.

"How did you know I was there?", he exclaimed.

"Kind of hard not to notice you. Besides, you've always liked sticking your nose into other people's business."

Thatch rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. I looked at him, surprised. I hadn't noticed he was there. Then again, I hadn't exactly been expecting him to be here or anything.

"You needed something?", he asked, trying to change the topic.

"I want you to take that eternal pose", he pointed to Lexi's outstretched hand,"And bring it over to the navigation room."

"Sure. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Tell Ace over there to stop eavesdropping." Another crash. More swearing. I sighed. My two best friends were worse than little kids.

I looked over at Lexi. Her expression didn't alter from her indifferent mask even a bit. She handed Thatch the Eternal Pose, looked at Whitebeard, and asked, "May I leave now?"

"Go, girl. Marco, take her back to her room." Lexi turned on her heel and started walking back to 'her' room. I just followed. No way I was going to leave her unsupervised anymore, not after the coughing.

* * *

**_~L~_**

I was out on deck, leaning over the railing. Bit by bit, we were getting closer to Green Leaf. I could see it. It was still a speck far off, but I could see it! I was worried. The time I had for reappearing at the Marine HQ had long since passed, and I had no doubt that Sengoku had decided to take action. All there was left was to hope I wasn't too late.

That hope flew out the window when I saw all of the smoke.

* * *

**_(A/N) Make guesses as to what happens next! And review. I'm not gonna make a promise as to when I'll post a new chapter though, but I can more-or-less guarantee it won't be as long as this time._**

**_And don't forget about the prize for the 125th reviewer!_**


	14. The Attack Commences

**_(A/N) A fast update! I managed to get my brother out of his room for a few hours so I could have the laptop all to myself, and I wrote this. Enjoy!_**

**_EMZ: I am not going to answer that question, as that would be a spoiler :P Just keep reading and you'll find out...eventually..._**

**_Guest: Mine too. I always pictured Thatch to be a flirt,, and somewhat childish at times X)_**

* * *

_**Chapter 14: The Attack Commences**_

_**~L~**_

I stared in horror at the giant columns of smoke rising into the sky, disappearing behind the clouds. I felt dread settle in my stomach. It couldn't be... I couldn't be to late! There were no Marine ships in sight, they must have been on the other side of the island. Please, let everyone still be alive!

As soon as the ship was close enough to the island I jumped over the railing and took off in the direction of the burning village. At this moment I couldn't have cared less whether or not the pirates were following me. All I wanted was to get to everyone, to protect them from the Marines!

I ran through the forest, taking shortcuts, and noticed it was devoid of animal life. Nothing. Not a single sound. Not a single eye peeking from behind a bush, not a single bird flying in the sky. They were all gone, probably trying to hide from all the chaos.

I was panting heavily as I stepped into the village. Well, what was once the village. The houses were all destroyed, be it by cannonballs or fire, people were lying across the ground, charred corpses missing body parts, pools of blood everywhere. Those filthy Marines must have come onto the island and attacked the people first! Dazed, I wandered around, the burning ruins of houses threatening to fall on top of me with every step I took. I recognized a lot of bodies, the ones that weren't burnt beyond recognition. I finally ended up in town square, where I saw Amy pressed up against the wall with tears in her eyes, trying to defeat a horde of marines who were attacking her from all sides with knives and swords. She had a split lip, and a few stab wounds here and there. I watched, frozen, as they advanced upon her. She had nowhere left to run, not that she looked like she wanted to.

I heard a gunshot. After that, everything happened on slow-motion. Amy's eyes widened, she looked down at her chest, where her T-shirt was quickly soaking up blood, and collapsed. I didn't think - I acted. I took my dagger out of its sheath, rushed up to the marines and started cutting them down one by one, feeling enormous satisfaction every time one of them screamed, every their blood stained my clothes red, every time one fell to the ground - dead. When I was finished, I looked at what I had done for a split second, not feeling an ounce of remorse, before rushing over to my childhood friend. Thankfully, the smoke prevented me from smelling the blood. I had never been near this much, and I had no clue how it would affect me.

I knelt down by my Amy's side. Her eyes were a bit unfocused, but she was still alive.

"Amy? Amy, can you hear me?", I asked, hoping for an answer. Maybe it wasn't to late for her. The bullet might not have pierced any bigger blood-vessel, I might still be able to save her! I tore off the lower part of her T-shirt and pressed the cloth to the wound. I saw something fall to the ground. It was clear, like a raindrop. I lifted one of my hands to my cheek and was startled to realize I was crying.

"L-Lexi? You're here?", she coughed.

"I'm here, I'm here. Don't worry, you're gonna be alright, it's gonna be fine." She smiled weakly and shook her head.

"No, it's not. I think the b-bullet *cough* nicked my aorta. I'm glad I'm *cough* not dead yet. I n-never got to thank you *cough* for all t-that you did for the island. None *cough* of us did. I know it m-must have *cough* been hard, w-working for the people you *cough* hate to protect us. So I *cough* speak for all the c-citizens of *cough* this island. T-thank you." She smiled one last time, before her eyes glazed over and her whole body fell limp.

It was then that I lost it. I screamed. After that, I lost control of my body. The pain, sorrow, guilt, regret, everything came crashing down on me. All I saw was white. I floated in it for a few seconds, but then the memories started coming back. I shut my eyes as hard as I could. I'm not sure what happened afterwards. All I remember is the blackness seeping in, drowning out the white...

* * *

_**~M~**_

I jumped off the ship, my division following me. The other divisions and their respective commanders were somewhere behind us. As quickly as possible we made our way to the source of the smoke.

The second I entered the village, I knew it was too late. Corpses charred to the bone littered the ground, blood pooled around them. All of a sudden, I heard an earsplitting wail. It sounded like a wounded animal. It sent shivers down my spine. The worst part was, I recognized the voice. It was Lexi.

I ran in the direction of the sound. Lexi was kneeling on the ground, near a body. She covered in a bit of blood, and her hair was slowly turning black. This kind of shocked me. The other times I had seen her transform, it was always quick, with something similar to Conqueror's Haki following it up. But this, this was much different. It was all happening slower than usual. Once her hair had turned jet-black, crimson horns started growing from her head, and her wings pierced through the back of her and slowly unfurled. Next was her tail and claws. From this point of view, I could one of her eyes. It was shadowed. Black started to seep in, overtaking the white of her eye. Then, all of a sudden, the pupils disappeared instead of turning into slits, and the iris turned into a glowing crimson. Last to go was the light. You know that light every living creature has in their eyes, right? It was gone.

I tried to take a step closer to her, but kicked a rock by mistake. Her head snapped to my direction. I stood rooted in place. This wasn't the girl I knew. She was gone. In her place was some sort of monster. I blinked, and she was gone.

I had no doubt in my mind that she had gone for the Marines. When she looked at me, I got the feeling that she didn't recognize me. I'm not sure what it was that kept her from attacking me, but I sure as hell was thankful to it. Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't wearing a marine uniform. I decided to go back to my division and get to the marine ships as fast as we could. After all, no matter how strong she was, there was absolutely no way she could take down 10 Marine battleships, with over a thousand soldiers on each one, along with 5 Vice-Admirals.

The last ship was a good 15 meters away from the island. I figured that there was some underwater drop-off there, because otherwise the water would have been to shallow for them to be able to sail there with such big vessels. There were a lot of fishing boats here, though most of them had been ruined by cannon-fire. I could only make out about 5 that looked like they were in good enough condition to sail with.

"Whoever has no other means of getting to the battleships, take the fishing boats that aren't destroyed and sail over there! Once you get there, don't hold back. Take down as many marines as possible!", I ordered.

I transformed my arms into wings and took off towards the ship nearest me. Instead of fighting the marines, I made sure none of our guys were there and set it aflame. I flew over to the next one. Unfortunately, I couldn't do the same thing as before, since I recognized at least 12 faces in the chaos below. I landed in the middle of the deck. The marines in that area turned to me, expressions of absolute horror on their faces. I smirked evilly.

"Boo!", I said. Most turned on their heels and fled. Cowards.

"Hey, what are you guys doing? It's just one pirate?!", someone shouted. I looked in the direction of the voice.

"Do you know who that pirate is? No? Well, that's Marco 'The Phoenix', First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates! I don't wanna end up dead yet!"

I shook my head, and sprinted towards the marines.

* * *

**_~M~_**

I jumped over to the last ship. I tried flying, but my Devil Fruit ability suddenly stopped working. I ran over to the front of the ship, where sounds of fighting were coming from. Weird thing was, I only saw three of the Vice-Admirals during the battle. That meant that the other two were either hiding, or fighting.

I got there. I was able to make out Lexi fighting one of them. She dealt a strong kick to the man's collarbone, and he went crashing into one of the railings. She stood there panting, and covered in blood, before tensing her muscles and preparing to jump at him and deal the finishing blow. I surveyed the area. Marines with missing body-parts (heads, fingers, legs, you name it), torn out insides, and slit throats were all lying dead in pools of their own blood. The place looked worse than the village back on the island. I couldn't believe that Lexi was capable of murdering all of those people in cold-blood. You know what, scratch that. I could. I would've probably acted the same if they had done that to my hometown.

Lexi's opponent had gotten up again, and charged towards her with his sword. She easily blocked it with her dagger. Suddenly, a sinister smirk appeared on his face. I looked at him confused. Until I saw a glint of metal behind the demon-girl.

"Look out!", I yelled to Lexi, but it was too late. The other Marine Vice-Admiral had jumped out from his hiding place with a long knife in his hands, and stabbed her in the back of her left shoulder. Lexi didn't make a sound, nothing to signify that she was in pain. Instead, she turned towards him and brought her fist up, ready to punch him in the jaw. The other marine had taken to watching what was happening with a sadistic grin on his face.

Then he tore the knife out, and stabbed her again. Right through the left side of her chest, through the ribs, and out the other side. The transformation started fading, her wings turned to dust that got blown away by the wind, and the color started fading from her hair, but the marine wasn't finished yet. He twisted the knife. Lexi fell to the ground, trying to catch her breath. It was weird. When the marine pulled the knife out, her breathing started to sound very odd. There were crackling noises. That was when it dawned on me. He had pierced her lung. Most likely in two places. I rushed into the battle, taking out the first marine with a strong kick to the solar-plexus, and knocking the second one overboard. It wasn't as hard as it should have been. None of them had noticed me before, and they were tired from the constant fights they had endured. I rushed to Lexi's side, my heart pounding, and tried to remember what I should do in a case like this.

I would need something to cover-up the wound (or wounds, in this case), so the air won't get in through them when she's trying to breathe. I took off my jacket, pressed it to the injuries, tied her to my back with a rope I found nearby, and took off to the Moby Dick, hoping that I wouldn't be too late to save her.

* * *

_**~M~**_

I walked back and forth in front of the infirmary door, worried out of my mind. The doctors were doing surgery. Because of the knife being twisted while inside her body, the puncture wound that should have been two one-and-a-half inch cuts became a big hole in her lung. Apparently, her chances of survival were very low. Damn! If only I had reacted sooner!

When Daniel, the head doctor, finally came out, I was pretty sure my frenzied walking had created a dent in the floorboards.

I took one look at him grim expression, and thought my heart would stop.

"Well?", I asked, fearing his answer.

"We did all we could, and managed to stabilize her." I sighed in relief. "She had quite a few injuries besides the punctured lung, and suffered major blood-loss. She has a broken wrist, a deep cut requiring 5 stitches in her side, one shoulder is dislocated, the other has a stab wound, bruised up legs, waist, and arms. And Marco... There's something else."

"The scars?", I asked.

"Yeah. How did you know?", he asked, surprised.

"Chopper checked up on her back on the Thousand Sunny."

"Why would he need to do that?"

"She started coughing up blood", I shuddered at the memory.

"Ohh... That's not good." Daniel was about to rush back inside, but I grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"Will she make it?" He grimaced.

"Can't say for sure."

"What do you think?", I insisted.

"95% chance."

"Of survival?", I asked.

"No. Of death." I let my hand fall off his shoulder. He walked back inside the infirmary.

* * *

_**(A/N) I kind of cut it there, cuz I wanted to get this out as soon as possible. But hey, It was out faster than the other one, right? It's progress. And it's not too short, if I do say so myself It's got almost 2,500 words!**_

_**We're at 122 reviews, people! A few more, and I'll be giving out a prize!**_


	15. Memories of the Past

**_(A/N) Well, people! I know it's been a while, sorry, I had exams, and there will be more of them to come soon, but I took some time out of my schedule to write this :) I've also decided to write the story in third person instead of first person. I wanted to try it out, because I have a feeling I might write better that way. After I finish the story I might go and redo the first 14 chapters this way, too._**

**_Oh, and before I forget - if anyone is in the mood for some angst, I've started a series of oneshots ("Disappearing Happiness"), which will be updated every few weeks!_**

**_Emz: Eventually. I'm not going to say much more, cuz I hate spoilers :P_**

* * *

**_Chapter 15: Memories of the Past_**

_14-year old Lexi was walking along the beach on Green Leaf. Every once in a while she bent down to collect colorful sea-shells. There was one in particular that she really wanted to find - a lion's paw scallop. It was fan-like in shape, with a smaller fan-like piece protruding from the left side of the bottom. It was striped, with different shades of red and orange, along with a bit of peach. It was one of the most beautiful shells she ever laid eyes on, nut unfortunately, she never saw it outside of a book or photos._

_Why did she want to find it so much, you ask? Because it was her mother's favorite, and her birthday was right around the corner._

_Without noticing, Lexi had already circled the entire island, and ended up back at the docks. The sky had turned a nice shade of orange, signalizing the approaching dusk. A few smaller clouds were floating here and there, and you could still see half of the sun over the horizon, showing its dying rays to the villagers. Lexi saw a trail of her footprints stretching ahead of her. Smiling slightly, she jogged up to the place she had been standing in just that morning._

_'Time sure flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?', she thought._

_She looked around again. Everything was just as it had been in the morning - the sea was peaceful, the sand different shades of brown, a red seashell lying right next to her fe-_

_She knelt down to get a closer look at it. Recognizing it to be the shell she had been looking for all this time, Lexi picked it up, and dusted the sand off. It was far more beautiful in real life than in pictures._

_She smiled again, and lightly shook her head. She had spent all day walking around the island looking for it, when it had been a few inches away from where she had been standing. Lexi blamed it on the drowsiness - she never did seem to get enough sleep. Her mother claimed she slept too long anyways (9-10 hours a night), but she always argued that she was growing up, and her body needed all the rest it could get._

_Speaking of which, shouldn't her mother be back now? She had left with the marines a month ago, and said she would be back before her birthday. Lexi took off the marine cap she was wearing, and stroked it fondly, before she frowned, remembering the conversation that took place between her and her guardian when she got it._

_Her mother was OK, right? She sat down on the sand and looked at the sea for a few minutes. Living on an island in the Grand Line should have been more exciting. Leaf Green was a small island, filled with plants of all kinds, and with only one village, in which about 250 people lived. Everybody knew each other, and everything about each other. The island never got any trade ships, and pirates rarely came. Add another factor to the equation - the island's size - and you now why there is no marine base here. The wind picked up, making Lexi's hair fly into her face. She pushed the silver curls to the back of her skull, removed a hair tie from the front pocket of her dark purple jean shorts, and tied it into a pony tail. It was short, maybe reaching a little beyond her shoulders._

_Lexi drew in a deep breath. She sensed a storm coming. She stuffed the seashell into her backpack and, stood up, and started walking back to the village. She took the path instead of her shortcuts this time. When she last used one of them, she ended up with a broken arm. It hurt like hell, and she really did NOT want to repeat that experience. Once was enough for her. She learned her lesson._

_She was maybe midway there, when she ran into Amy. Her friend's wavy red hair was a mess, and her blue eyes showed worry and fright. All of a sudden, Lexi felt an uncomfortable sensation in her stomach._

_"Lexi! There you are! I've been looking all over for you for the last hour! You have to hurry back to the village! It's important. I'll explain on the way there!" Amy grabbed Lexi's hand, and pulled her along the road, until after a while she gently pulled her arm out of Amy's grip, and picked up speed. Whatever had happened, it was definitely not a good thing._

_"So will you tell me now?", she asked in between breaths. Amy glanced at her, before looking back at the path, trying to keep herself from tripping over stray roots._

_"The marines came back", she finally said._

_"And that is a bad thing why?", Lexi inquired._

_"Because your mom - sh-she's... dead." Lexi's footsteps slowed, and then stopped altogether. She looked at Amy, not really seeing her, but seeing past her._

_"W-What?", she asked, dumbfounded._

_"Let's just get to the village, quickly."_

_Lexi was in a daze. All she remembered was putting one foot in front of the other, passing through the gates, and following Amy to her house. She was lead into a small 6x10 feet bedroom. And on the bed was...her mom._

_Lexi fell to her knees, in shock. Till the very end, she had hoped that this was all just some sick joke, or maybe that someone had made a mistake. But the truth was right in front of her eyes, and she could no longer deny it. Her mother was dead, not breathing, just lying there motionless on the bed._

_Someone had already cleaned the body, and changed her clothes. Lexi crawled over to the bed, and started crying uncontrollably. She hugged her mom's corpse, and wouldn't let go. Someone pried her arms away, and hugged her, telling her it would all be alright..._

* * *

_Lexi stood in front of a new grave in the slowly growing cemetery. It was her mom's. The funeral had just ended, and she was alone in black jeans, a black shirt, and a black leather coat. She wasn't crying anymore. At least, not in public. She took the shell she had found on the beach a few days ago, and placed it on her mother's grave. She sat down on the wet ground, and put her head in her arms._

_It had been raining for the last few days, almost as if Heaven itself had been weeping the loss of such a fine young woman._

* * *

_"A few Marines came into town and just dumped the body onto the ground. The captain said to drop the body onto the ground."_

_"Apparently he called her a lot of names."_

_"This I can say for sure - those bastard Marines murdered her."_

_"I wonder what it was that she didn't want to give them."_

_"Just what could have made them go to such lengths?"_

_They thought she didn't hear them. Oh, how wrong they were._

* * *

_"Lexi, come out. You have to eat something!"_

_Silence._

_"Lexi!", Amy tried again. For the past two weeks, Lexi had locked herself in her room, and refused to let anyone and anything in. Amy was going frantic with worry._

_"Open up right now, or so help me I will knock this door down all the way to Hell!"_

_The door was quickly unlocked and opened. A hand darted out of the other room, snatching the delicious smelling steak from Amy's hands before the door slammed shut again._

_Amy sighed._

* * *

_"That thing's nothing more than a monster."_

_"Such an abomination shouldn't exist."_

_"I can't believe she died to protect this...this thing!"_

_Lexi heard the voices of the Marines outside of her cell. Never had she hated anything more than she hated herself right now. She was putting so many people in danger by just living._

* * *

_Lexi lay strapped down to a cold operating table, watching the surgeon with frightened eyes._

_"Be a good girl. This'll be over soon, I promise you", he said in that sickly sweet voice of his. He picked up a scalpel, and held it up in front of her face. Then he brought it down, cutting the skin on her stomach apart slowly. Lexi screamed. He hadn't administered her any anesthesia whatsoever._

_After the doctor was done with the cut, he placed the scalpel down, and spread the layers of skin and muscle apart, revealing the internal organs._

_"Now let's see how your body reacts to this." He picked up a bottle of some sort. Inside, there was a thick dark fluid. He pored some onto his hand, dipped a cloth in it, and pressed it onto Lexi's insides._

_A bloodcurdling scream resonated throughout the entire building._

* * *

Lexi bolted up from where she was lying on the infirmary bed, screaming. A few doctors came to hold her down. Seeing their scrubs, she struggled, thinking that she was back at the Marine HQ.

"Guys, some help, if you wouldn't mind?!", a female doctor yelled.

"Someone go get Commander Marco! Or Ace! Any of them, really! Just hurry up." Marco! They said Marco. She stopped struggling and fell back down onto the bed. What had happened? She was on Whitebeard's ship, and then-

Someone burst into the room. Lexi recognized the man as Marco. He sure was fast coming here.

His hair was slightly tousled, and he looked sleepy.

"What was so serious that Ricky ran around the ship yelling for me in the middle of the night? He managed to wake up half of the crew with all of the ruckus he was making."

"Commander! Thank goodness you're here! The girl's awake." The female doctor gestured towards Lexi.

Lexi, meanwhile, was wondering about the immense pain her body was in. She looked down to inspect the state it was in.

What she saw shocked her. Her whole torso was bandaged, she was pretty sure she could feel a few stitches in her side, and one of her wrists was in pain. She could also feel other injuries, but she was too confused to look for them now.

"Leave us", said Marco. Lexi turned to him as the doctors left with sad eyes.

"...They're gone, aren't they?", she asked.

"...Yeah", he replied.

"Damn it!", she shouted, and inhaled sharply as the movement aggravated her lung injury. "It's all my fault!"

* * *

"Give her a bounty! 530 million berry should be the right amount. And make sure it says DEAD, not DEAD OR ALIVE! If we can't have her on our side, then she isn't allowed to exist!", Sengoku shouted to the Marine in his office.

* * *

"Hmm... a new Whitebeard Pirate? 530 million?"

"They call her the 'Angel of Death'. I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before!"

"Hey, you're not talking about that famous assassin, are you?"

"Yeah! That's it!"

"The Whitebeard Pirates really are dangerous, aren't they?"

"You mean they were behind all of those murders?"

"No. I sincerely doubt it. That's not their style."

"Then who was it?"

* * *

_**(A/N) Gotta go study now! Bye!**_


	16. Discovery

_**(A/N) I didn't feel satisfied with the last chapter's ending, so I went ahead and changed it, just wanted to let you guys know. And guess what? I went shopping yesterday and I bought myself a straw hat! It's just like Luffy's, except it has a black ribbon instead of red, and the ends are tied into a bow. I'm planning on taking it off and tying a red one around it, though. :)**_

* * *

**_Chapter 16: Discovery_**

Lexi never fell asleep, not even when the Phoenix left her alone. The medics didn't come back, either. After a few hours of blankly staring at the wall, she tore out all the needles in her body, and stood up. She was shaky, sure, but her healing powers had improved. The lung injury had definitely closed up by now, though barely, and should she aggravate it further, it would open up again. She looked down at her body. She was dressed up in a nightgown reaching her knees, her body completely covered in bandages. At least the doctors hadn't given her morphine this time around, so she wasn't as dizzy as she would be otherwise. Her whole body hurt, but she had been through worse. Lexi stumbled out of the room, and struggled to get up to the deck.

She opened the door, and was met with a calming sea breeze. She stumbled over to the railing, sat down and leaned back against it. She pulled her legs up, wrapped her arms around them. She sat like that for hours on end. Eventually, she heard someone sit down next to her.

"Go away", she said. The person kept silent. She looked up to see Ace. He was leaning against the railing with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"It could have been worse, you know", he stated after a while.

"Oh really? And how?", Lexi asked, her voice laced with disbelief and bitterness.

"The marines could have turned the villagers against you, or even each other. At least you know that they cared enough to fight back", he replied. It was silent for a while again.

"You've really made Marco worry. He's been jumpy all week", Ace said.

"Do I look like I care?", she answered.

"Never said you did. Just thought you might want to know, is all." Quiet. Ace stared at the stars, while Lexi looked at the floorboards, tracing the patterns with her eyes. After a while Ace stood up, dusted his shorts off, and started walking across the deck.

"Ace...", Lexi called after him softly.

"Yeah?" He turned to her with a small smile on his face.

"Don't you hate me? I mean, I almost killed your brother, and...", she trailed off, unsure of how to voice the rest of her question.

"Nahh. It's not as if you did it in the end, right? And besides, you were protecting the people you loved", he answered, and grinned.

What about my fa-", she started.

"I don't care. Because frankly, it's not like mine was any better. And we can't choose our parents, right?" Lexi slowly nodded.

"Yeah, I guess we can't", she said. "Thanks... for everything." His grin faltered. Why did that sound like she was saying goodbye? "And thank Marco for me, would you?"

"Why don't you thank him yourself?", he asked. Lexi just shook her head.

"I'll be going back now", Lexi stated, avoiding the question. She got up, dusted herself off, and walked back the way she came from. Ace stared after her with a frown. He had a bad feeling about this. He walked off to the Commander's Quarters.

* * *

Lexi, instead if going back to the infirmary, made her way over to the room she had been staying in before. She didn't encounter anyone on her way there. Her chest hurt, and she could feel tears well up in her eyes, but refused to let the fall. She opened the door, and studied the items in the room for a split second, before walking over to the chest she kept her belongings in, and searched for her sketchbook. She flipped it open to the now completed sketch of Marco, smirking, with his hair ruffled slightly by a nonexistent breeze, before tearing it out, and folding the paper into quarters. She looked around for a pen, and post-it notes. She wrote something on the first one from the top, before sticking it to the paper, now left in the middle of the floor in her room. She walked over to the small bathroom, and made sure the door was closed, before banging her fist against the mirror. It shattered into bits. Praying that nobody had heard, she lifted up one of the bigger pieces with her bloodied hand, and exited the bathroom. Lexi clenched her hand against the rugged piece of glass, feeling it tearing into her flesh, ripping it apart. Her chest hurt, and she clutched at it with her free hand, before she walked over to and lied down on the bed, and turned to face the wall. She slowly lifted both arms closer to her face. She closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. With a fluid movement she dragged the piece of glass along her wrist, cutting into the vein. The pain stung, but not for long. She could feel the life fluids flow from her body, and saw them stain both the floor and the bed red, before she faded away into blissful unconsciousness.

The paper stayed where it was in the middle of the room.

_'Thank_ _you'_

* * *

The sense of foreboding grew stronger and stronger. It just didn't want to leave him. Ace walked past the door to his room, heading straight for Marco's. He knocked on the door three times. Silence. He tried opening it, but to no avail. It was locked from the inside. Frustrated, he growled, and lifted his leg, about to kick the door in, but was suddenly met face to face with the First Division Commander.

"You had better have a good explanation for this Ace. It's the second time I've been woken up this night. I need goddamn sleep every once in a while too, you know!", Marco almost yelled.

"Call it a hunch, but something just doesn't feel right... I was talking to Lexi just a minute ago up on the deck, and-", he started, but was cut off by a shocked Marco.

"What?! But she wasn't supposed to leave the infirmary! How the _hell_ is she even able to _walk_?!", Marco exclaimed.

"Will you let me finish or not?!", Ace shouted. He tensed and looked around to see if he had woken anybody up. "She thanked me, and told me to thank you. When I asked her why she couldn't do it herself, she avoided answering. I have a really bad feeling about this, Marco..." His friend stared at him blankly for a few seconds, before his expression turned into one of confusion.

"You came here just for something like that? Why not just go check on her?" Ace stood there for a moment, looking dumbfounded, before a small blush rose to his cheeks.

"I guess I could go by myself if you're not interested." Marco groaned.

"Alright, alright I'm coming", he said, walking out of his room. He made his way over to the infirmary, with Ace in tow. It didn't even cross his mind to knock. Instead, he opened the door, and walked right into the room. It was empty. He turned to Ace, who looked just as worried as he was.

"Where else do you think she might have gone?!", he asked. Even though he sounded calm, he couldn't help the dread he was starting to feel. He and Ace looked at each other for a second, before their eyes widened at the same time.

"Her room!", they shouted simultaneously.

* * *

Marco kicked the door open, reveling a figure on the bed. He breathed a sigh of relief, and walked over the it. He placed his arm on one of her hands. It was cold. He frowned.

That was when Ace turned on the light.

What Marco saw shocked him. Lexi was lying on the bed pale, her right wrist dripping with blood, and a glass shard was on the floor. He stood there looking dazed for a moment, but when he heard Ace gasp behind him, he frantically started looking around for something to stop the bleeding with.

"Get a doctor", he ordered. "Now!"

He caught sight of trail of blood on the floor, leading to a folded piece of paper. Tying a piece of cloth around Lexi's wrist, he went to grab it. There was a post-it note stuck to it.

_'Thank you'_

He stared at it for a while, before he opened the bigger piece of paper.

It was a drawing. Of him. He rushed over to Lexi's side. Why? Why did she do something like this? And why did it hurt so much to see something like this happen to her? He absentmindedly clutched at his heart. 'Why? Why? Why?', he asked himself over and over again.

And then the answer came to him.

He was in love with the demon-girl.

* * *

**_(A/N) Buahahaha. Never question the gut! It's always right XD I got that from NCIS. Anyone besides me watch that?_**

**_And this is where the romance of the story starts. I know I'm evil, making Lexi suffer all of that stuff, and then a suicide attempt to top it all off, but I promise it'll get better from now on. :) And I might possibly maybe need more ideas for what happens in later chapters. I can't exactly skip right over to the war in Marineford, can I? Though then again, if I make some alterations...Maybe I could think something up :) What I can tell you for sure is that the story is slowly going to be coming to a close._**

**_I had no time to proofread this chapter, I still have a history test to study for. Though I might go and take a nap beforehand :P_**

**_REVIEW!REVIEW!REVIEW!_**

**_New prize: 155 reviews!_**


	17. Of Pranks and Confessions

**_(A/N) Not sure what to say here... I would have updated sooner, but my mom won't let me use the laptop for long periods of time, since she thinks I should be studying instead. I wonder what she would do if someone forced her to sit in front of books for hours on end. She just can't understand that my life doesn't center around getting an education. Even right now, she's telling me to leave the laptop alone and go study! I think I might be going crazy here!_**

**_BTW-I'm looking for a Beta-reader for my stories. Anyone want to take on the job?_**

**_Emz: You were right! And I updated! :)_**

* * *

**_Chapter 17: Of Pranks and Confessions_**

Marco was astounded with his discovery. He really hadn't seen this coming. Sure, whenever he had been around her, he felt happy, complete. But he figured that it was because she was finally starting to like him, and not because...well...he had fallen in love with her.

He took a deep breath, and went back to Lexi. He grabbed her wrist, and applied pressure to the self-inflicted wound.

Lexi was damaged. She had just tried to kill herself. Had been close to succeeding, too. Maybe would succeed if the doctor didn't come fast enough. He would have to remember to thank Ace. If not for him, it would have definitely been to late to do anything.

He heard two pairs of footsteps rushing through the hall, before someone threw open the door and ran into the room. Rick was by his side in an instant, prying his hands away from Lexi's wrist. Marco watched what was going on before him in a daze-like state, not registering anything other than Lexi's pale skin.

* * *

She woke up in a bed. But wait...

...Woke up? Wasn't she supposed to be dead? She opened her eyes. In the dim light she was just barely able to make out someone glaring. At her. Someone whose hair held an uncanny resemblance to a pineapple. The figure seemed to have realized that she was awake.

"What the hell were you thinking?!", Marco's voice shouted at her. She flinched away from the source of the loud noise.

"Can you keep it down? I can hear you loud and clear."_ Unfortunately._

"You mind explaining what was going through that head of yours?! You nearly gave me and Ace heart attacks! We walk through the door to your room and see you covered in blood! Suicide?! Seriously?! What the hell were you thinking?!"

As Marco went on and on about how stupid she was, Lexi suddenly found herself furious. How dare they take away her freedom of choice! She had nobody in this world who she wanted to live for, who wanted her to live. She was completely alone...

"Well, maybe I wanted to die! It's none of your business! All you would have had to do was get rid of my body!", she yelled. She was furious. And weak. If she was weak, it meant that she had lost a lot of blood. She had been so close!

Marco's face had completely turned into a mask of fury by now.

"You can't just throw your life away like that!", Marco yelled back.

"Can't I? And you're not one to talk! You're a goddamn pirate!" Lexi ranted. Marco took deep breaths, trying to calm down. He rubbed his temples. He was almost completely calm again, when Lexi voiced a question that made him see red all over again.

"Why do you care, anyways?!" And the words slipped from his lips...

"Because I love you!", he roared. Lexi's eyes widened, and she looked as if she had been slapped. Marco stood up from the chair he was sitting in, and walked out the door.

"Marco, wai-!", Lexi started, but Marco slammed the door shut behind him. She flinched from the noise. She lied back down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

* * *

Marco made his way up to the deck. Damn that girl, making him lose his temper like that! He walked over to the side of the ship, and leaned his arms against the railing. It rarely happened, but when Marco was mad, everyone on the ship, including Whitebeard, stayed out of his way.

"Hey, Marco! What ruffled your feathers?"

Well, almost everyone.

Thatch walked over to where his friend was and sat down on the railing. Marco shot him a dull glare.

"Go away, Thatch. I'm not in the mood. Go bother someone else."

"Aww, come on Marco, don't be like that. Besides, there's no one else to bother. Almost everyone's on the island we just docked at."

"Almost?", Marco asked.

"Yeah", Thatch replied. "Everyone except you, me, Ace, Pops, the girl, and a few doctors."

"Then go annoy Ace." Marco listened, hoping to hear the sound of footsteps leaving, but alas, the world hated him.

"Not a chance! He's doing some last-minute paperwork for Pops. I don't want it to be my fault if he doesn't finish it on time... I still remember what happened last time I interrupted.", Thatch shuddered. "So what happened? Have another fight with the girl?"

"One- she has a name. Two- I'm not going to talk about it, least of all with _you_", Marco said.

"She turn you down?" Marco turned around to face Thatch, surprised.

"What are you-"

"Don't play dumb with me, Marco, I'd have to be blind not to notice", Thatch cut him off.

"You will be, if you don't leave me alone. As in _right now_", he added when Thatch didn't move. He turned to look at the sea. It was quiet for a while.

"I ran out of the room before she could say anything", Marco confessed.

"Oh... That's bad. You should have waited for her to say something." Thatch bit his lip.

"But the words just slipped from my mouth. I didn't know what to do. And it was in the middle of a fight, too. I needed to go cool off."

"You seem plenty calm to me", Thatch responded. Marco glared at him again. "So why are you here, anyways? I would have thought you'd be on the island with the rest of the crew. Thatch started sweating slightly, and his eyes darted around nervously. Marco's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I was busy", he said.

"Busy with what?", Marco asked suspiciously.

"Umm...paperwork...", Thatch said, looking to the left. A tell-tale sign of someone lying.

"Really?", asked Marco. He forced an overly happy smile onto his face. "So if I went to my room right now, nothing would be out of the norm?", he said.

"...No...", Thatch whispered. Marco's eyes were shadowed.

"Thatch, whatever you did, undo it right now!" Thatch gulped. If he had known Marco was in such a bad mood, he would have waited to prank him later. Thatch jumped off the railing, and raced to Marco's room. Hoping to clean up whatever mess he had made before the Phoenix returned.

* * *

It took Thatch over half an hour of working as fast as he possibly could, but in the end he managed to return Marco's room to its previous state before its occupant saw what he had done. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, and looked around. Behind him stood four bags full of stuff he had used to unleash chaos upon the room. _In my opinion it looked better when I transformed it into a bird's nest, complete with eggs, feathers, and birdseed among the blankets piled on the floor._

He heaved the bags over his shoulder, and opened the door. He stepped out into the hallway, and walked over to his room to dump the bags. After all, he planned on using the stuff they contained some other time. Though he would have to make sure Marco was in a better mood than now... He hid the bags in his closet, and made his way up to the deck of the ship. Looking around, he noticed that it was empty. Apparently, the crew was still partying in a bar somewhere. He sighed, and walked over to the galley to prepare dinner. He opened the door, and was met with the sight of the First Division Commander lying face-down on a table with a cup of coffee next to his head. He smirked. This was going to be great! He quietly snuck over to where Marco was sitting, and was about to shout 'Boo!', when Ace's voice reached him.

"Thatch", he warned. "Leave him alone, he's barely had any sleep at all this past week." Thatch raised his arms in defeat, and walked over to where Ace was standing by the door to the galley. They walked out of the room, leaving their friend in peace.

"So I take it you finished that paperwork on time?", Thatch asked.

"Yeah", Ace remarked. "Took me a while, too. I'm kinda surprised you didn't come and bug me, though..."

"Yeah...I sort of had other things to do", Thatch said. Ace sweatdropped.

"...I don't think I want to know." Thatch nodded.

"No, you don't." Ace sighed.

* * *

Marco woke up feeling well-rested for the first time in days. Though he had a feeling that if it wasn't for the noises coming from the deck of the ship, he would have slept much longer. He looked out a nearby window. The sun was setting, and casting shadows in the galley. The crew must have returned. With a sigh, he got up and walked to his room.

He opened the door, and was surprised to find it clean. To top it off, nothing was missing. Marco blinked a couple of times to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. Thatch had a few hours to demolish his room while he was asleep, and didn't do anything? Wow... just... wow...

He thought about what had happened before he fell asleep. He wished it had been a dream, but at the same time he knew what had happened was real. He sat down at his desk, and took a stack of paperwork from the drawer. He grabbed a pen, and got started on the seemingly endless pile of papers.

* * *

**_(A/N) That was as long as I could manage. I'll try to write more as soon as I can! Though it might take a while..._**

**_Review? Pretty please with a cherry on top?_**


	18. Response

**(A/N) Another update, short, but I wanted to get it out already At least it's still got over 1500 words :) Just proceeding to my favorite part in this story. Not much here, move along now :P**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Response**

"You're free to go now. Just make sure you don't do anything stupid like that again. You should rest for the next couple of days, the remaining injuries still haven't healed." Rick instructed as he showed Lexi out of the infirmary. Her face was expressionless as she walked out. She wore a pair of black knee-length jeans shorts, and a white cami, with a purple lace sweater thrown over it. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail at the back of her head.

Lexi's injuries had, to some extent, healed. Of course, there were still a few that were red and swollen. Any regular person would be bedridden for who knew how long, but Lexi's powers let her heal quicker than a normal person. Her abnormal healing had her walking around in less then a week.

A few members of the crew had stuck with her at all times to make sure that she wouldn't try to commit suicide again. Like right now- Ace was by her side, leading her up to the deck. She could see him glancing at her out of the corner of his eye every now and then, presumably to make sure that she didn't run off anywhere, or try anything.

"You want to take a tour of the ship?", he asked. Lexi presumed that the silence was getting to him, and was he bored out of his mind. She simply nodded her head. It's not like she had anything better to do, after all. She could tell Marco had been avoiding her. He hadn't come back to visit her while she was still in the infirmary, and it pained Lexi to not see him during that whole time. The uncomfortable pit in her stomach grew the more she thought about what had occurred She still wasn't sure about her feelings towards him, though. Did she feel the same? Should they just stay friends? She needed more time to think about it, just a little longer.

Ace led her around the ship. She tried to remember where everything was located, but it was so big, her mental map was of no use. She would have to stay here for a while before she could find her way around with ease. Eventually, they wound up back on the upper deck. Ace's stomach growled. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I guess we could go to the galley to get something to eat. It should be close to dinner", Ace informed. Remaining silent, Lexi just nodded again. Ace frowned, she was being awfully quiet. Then he sighed. He probably wouldn't be much different, if Marines killed everyone he ever knew. She was staring out at the sea. To him, she resembled a lost child. He gently nudged her shoulder. The sudden act of kindness snapped the girl out of her thoughts, and she jumped as a result.

"Come on." They walked to the galley in silence. Once Ace opened the door, the whole room fell silent. Every single pair of eyes turned in their direction. Ace disregarded his openly staring crewmates, and walked over to the buffet. He took two plates, and started filling them up with food. He walked over to an empty table, and waved Lexi over. They ate in silence, Ace stuffing his mouth, and Lexi mixing and stabbing at her food with the end of her fork. After a while the conversations started up again, but it was still far quieter than what Ace was used to.

"What's with the silence?", asked Thatch, as he came over to their table with his own plate of food. Ace waved to him cheerily, then swallowed the haul in his mouth, while Lexi didn't even give a sign that she had noticed he was even there and continued with torturing her food. Thatch took a seat across from Lexi, and next to his fellow commander.

"You think it's quiet now? You should have seen how it was right when we came in. You'd think they saw a ghost, or something", Ace claimed.

Both of them glanced at the stoic girl. She was cutting a steak into tiny pieces, bearing down at table with cold eyes. They knew every well she was the cause of the silence, and she probably knew it too.

Not everyone was feeling comfortable with letting the girl stay on the Moby Dick, mainly because what they saw was a dangerous criminal. They didn't know the girl at all, and to top it off, she was an assassin. They might wake up one morning to find someone dead, and their 'guest' missing.

In their eyes, she wasn't to be trusted until she proved herself trustworthy. The Commanders were careful around her, and not all of them accepted her. Still, she had managed to gain Izo's, Vista's and a few others sympathy when her island was utterly obliterated. Ace was around her all the time. Marco used to come, but had started avoiding her like the plague recently (Ace had no clue why) and Thatch was doing what he could to get himself into her good graces. These were the few that didn't care who her powers came from.

While Lexi just sat there lost in thought, Ace and Thatch started making conversation.

"Yeah, and then apparently he-", Thatch was saying, as Lexi stood from her seat.

"Where do I put the plate?", she asked quietly.

"Ahh... just leave it here for now, I'll get to it later."

"Okay, I'll be going then." Ace and Thatch looked at each other suspiciously. When they turned back to face Lexi, she was gone. The door to the galley was swinging on its hinges.

"Are you sure it's all right for her to be alone?", Thatch asked.

"...Not entirely..." They finished their food as fast as they could and left the galley in search for the missing girl.

* * *

Lexi wandered around the ship, not really sure where she was going. At least, not until she stumbled across the infirmary. Her eyes widened. She remembered where the Commander's Quarters were and now that she knew where she was, she could find them, and go and see Marco! She smiled in what felt like forever, changed her course to the left, and started walking again.

* * *

Marco was finishing up the last paper, when he heard someone knocking on his door. With a sigh, he got up from the chair and stretched his arms over his head. His joints popped, bringing him an immense amount of relief. He had forgotten how sore one's body could get after sitting at a desk for hours on end.

He opened the door, expecting to see either Ace or Thatch. Who he didn't expect to see was Lexi standing there, looking conflicted. Marco blinked a few times, studying the smaller girl. She was still wrapped up in bandages, but other than that, seemed more or less fine.

"Rick and Daniel let you out of the infirmary already?", he asked.

"Yeah", she answered quietly. She took a deep breath. "Marco, I came to apologize."

"About?" Now he was confused. Lexi hadn't done anything to him, after all.

"The argument we had in the infirmary. I'm sorry. Maybe I really shouldn't have tried to take my own life, but please understand, at the time it seemed like my only option", she replied.

"And you have another option now?", he inquired.

"Yeah. If it's possible, I want to stay here on the Moby Dick with the crew. With you." Having said what was on her mind, she leaned in and kissed him. Marco froze in place. All he could think about was the feeling of her soft lips on his. Once he got over the shock, he kissed her back. It was nothing much, just a gentle dance of their lips. He felt happy, happier than he'd been in ages. He put his arms around her waist. Lexi's breath caught in her throat, and she smiled softly into the kiss. She put her hands on his chest. Marco pulled her closer to him, and-

"Oi! Ace! I found her!"

Damn Thatch and his timing!

* * *

**(A/N) You've gotta love Thatch. One of my favorite characters here :P**

**I'm suffering from a terrible headache :( Anyone know any home remedies that would help? *looks at you with hopeful eyes* Because I've been holding a ziplock bag full of really cold water against my forehead, and though it helped (a lot), my hand started hurting...**

**Attention! I've started a forum for people who want a chat option on this site! Hopefully, we'll get noticed by the owners of the website eventually, and they'll add one! I'm looking for as much followers, etc, as I can.**

**link:**

** myforums/Portgas-D-Paula/4153141/**

**Last but not least, please review the story!**


	19. Gossip

**_(A/N) Not much to say here..._**

**_Oh, I just finished writing my finals a few days ago! :) They're the reason*cough*otherthanlaziness*coughcough* I haven't updated in so long. And thank you to Vegetable of Darkness for reminding me to write. Really, without this awesome person, this chapter would have taken a lot longer to release._**

* * *

_**Chapter 19: Gossip**_

Lexi jumped away from him as if she had been burned. Marco glared murderously at Thatch, who was coming around the corner with a smirk on his face. He kept his hands loosely around Lexi's waist, keeping her from backing away any farther.

"Marco, this is embarrassing!" she whispered. He put a finger on her lips. Thatch was about four steps away from the two of them, when an overly happy smile made it's way to Marco's face.

"You need something Thatch?" he asked. Thatch tilted his head to the side. Wasn't his friend mad at him for interrupting? Looking at his face again, he noticed a slight twitch to Marco's eye. Thatch paled. Only once before had he seen what he dubbed 'The Twitch' on Marco's face, and lets just say it didn't end well for the redhead.

Thatch had ended up cleaning all of the ship's toilets every day for six months.

"Umm... I... don't... think... so?" he stammered. Marco's smile turned into a glare. It's meaning was clear- 'Since you have nothing to do here, get lost!'

That moment, Ace rounded the corner. His eyes lit up at the sign of Lexi, and a sheepish smile came to his face, as he realized what was going on. Marco's arms were _still _around Lexi's waist, and Thatch was sweating bullets. The girl's face was red, and she refused to meet anyone's gaze. Ace walked up to the pirates, cautious of the First Mate, and tugged on Thatch's sleeve.

"How about you and I go get some more breakfast?" he asked the redhead. Thatch looked puzzled for a second.

"But we just ate our fill a moment ago." Ace tightened his grip on his friend's arm. Realization dawned on Thatch.

"Ooooh. Sure, let's go eat... some... more... And Marco, make sure that she doesn't leave you sight for a minute. Not that I think she will anytime soon." Thatch grinned.

Marco sighed. Sometimes, it seemed like Ace was, besides him, the most reliable person on board this. 'At least when it really matters,' he thought, remembering all of the times Ace had helped Thatch play pranks on him.

Marco looked back at Lexi. She was flustered, if the pinkish hue of her cheeks was anything to go by.

"You want to come in? My room's more private than the hallway", he suggested. Lexi looked at him and nodded. The moment she closed the door behind her, he pulled her in for another kiss. She yelped in surprise when he pushed her onto the bed and climbed on top of her, their lips never separating.

And... the door opened. Marco turned around to glare at the intruder. This was getting old.

"What?!" He snarled.

Izo was looking at him dumbstruck.

"I... you... wha-...never mind." The okama quickly closed the door. Marco kept glaring at the door as if it was the cause of all the bad things happening to him. He felt Lexi start shaking underneath him. He looked down, surprised, and expecting to find her crying. But alas, that was not what was going on.

Lexi had a hand across her mouth trying to stifle her giggles. He looked at her questioningly.

"Let's continue this some other time. And next time, _please_ don't forget to lock the door." A soft smile spread across his face as he moved to get off her.

They sat on the bed side-by-side for a while.

_"Fuck,"_ Marco exclaimed all of a sudden. Lexi raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"Kinda."

She raised her other eyebrow and waited for him to elaborate.

"Izo's the biggest gossiper on this whole ship. By noon, everyone will know you and I-"

"Made out?" She finished the sentence for him. He nodded. It was quiet for a moment.

"You know, other rumors might start going around if we stay here by ourselves any longer..." Marco groaned. Way to spoil his mood.

"Yeah... Let's go to the mess hall. I haven't eaten yet."

"I already ate, but since you're unwilling to go by yourself..." Lexi smirked.

* * *

Vista looked at Izo as if he was crazy.

"Marco? Our Marco?! You sure you didn't see someone else? Maybe you were hallucinating or something..."

"I'm serious! Our Marco had fallen in love!"

"Who was he kissing?" A bit of disgust made itself visible on Izo's face.

"The Demon." The corner of Vista's lips curled downwards.

"... She's not _that_ bad, you know," Izo said.

"I know. But i- the girl is more trouble than she's worth, in my opinion."

"If Marco likes her, then she must be... I don't know... nice? Trustworthy?" He tried to find the right words to express himself. "You do what you will, but I'll try to become friend with her."

"You do that. But remember- Marco hasn't exactly had a happy past where women were concerned... Make sure she's not going to manipulate him or anything."

"Sure! Gotta look out for my brother, right?" Izo smiled.

* * *

As Marco filled his plate to the brim with food, he could feel the eyes of his mates following him and Lexi. She got herself a cup of coffee.

"I rest my case. Didn't even take 10 minutes," he muttered to his girlfriend.

She merely smiled. Marco walked over to an empty table. Ace and Thatch were nowhere to be seen. If he had to guess, they were driving someone else insane, now that he himself was... erm... busy. They put their food on the table, and sat down across from each other. He hadn't realized how hungry he had been. After he finished the plate, he debated getting another helping. That plan went out the window the moment he saw Izo coming over to their table. He looked at the okama, as he sat down next to Lexi on the bench. The girl scooted away from him, uncomfortable with the closeness. Izo smiled at them. To Marco, it seemed slightly forced.

"So how's it going? Gotten past the kissing yet?" Lexi choked on her coffee, and was barely able to refrain herself from spewing the brown liquid all over the table. She glared at the okama.

"What's it to you?" She snarled, her cheeks colored a bright pink. 'It contrasts nicely with her pale complexion,' Marco thought, smirking slightly.

Izo raised his eyebrows at the snarky comment.

"Just curious, is all. You know, Marco," he said, turning to face the First Division Commander "I never would have thought you'd be the one she fell in love with. Just to warn you though, there's been a few guys who've been eyeing her." Marco looked at Izo oddly before subtly looking around the mess hall. Izo turned to face Lexi again. He looked her clothes over critically.

"We need to get you a new wardrobe."

"Me? I like my clothes, thank you very much. And I don't want to hear that from you!" _Just leave me the hell alone. Can't a girl have a minute of peace here? _

Izo shook his head in disapproval. He stood up, and pulled Lexi up along with him.

"You, my dear, are getting new clothes whether you want to or not." They heard shouts outside. "Well, what do you know? Seems like we've just docked at an island. Come on, we have shops to get to."

Lexi looked at Marco and mouthed 'Help'. Her boyfriend stared dumbstruck at the two people before him. He never would have expected Izo of all people to go shopping with Lexi, not considering what he thought about her heritage. When he didn't respond, she stretched her hand out and waved it before his face.

Nothing.

"I think you broke Marco," she stated bluntly.

"We can get a new one ashore." Izo smirked evilly at Marco. "Now come on. From what I know, he has some paperwork to catch up with, and it'll take awhile."

"Hey!" Marco shouted after the two of them. He sighed, stood up, and stretched.

_Guess it's back to paperwork._

* * *

**_(A/N) Remember, 155th reviewer gets a prize!_**

**_And just to warn you guys, I'll be finishing up all of my incomplete stories, and getting a new account. Not gonna tell you what it'll be, though. The reason is I want to start over on FF. Of course, I'll still be on this account from time to time, so if anyone wants to talk, don't hesitate to send a PM!_**


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